Artificial intelligence has made its way into our daily lives through smartphones, food delivery robots, chatbots, and more. Even a simple Google search provides an AI overview before showing its search results. It seems as though we will not be escaping the technological advancements of AI any time soon, as it has become a tool in many different industries.
Environmental Footprints
While these technological advances are helping the world in many ways, AI is multifaceted, with both positive and negative aspects to our world. Many of the concerns stem from AI’s contribution to climate change. AI is heavily reliant on data centers, which use large amounts of energy. AI operations require large amounts of electricity sourced from fossil fuels, which leads to large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions. The data centers also strain multiple freshwater resources for their cooling systems due to overheating.
AI data centers are heavily reliant on large amounts of water because they need to cool the servers and computer hardware that generate significant amounts of heat. Data centers use industrial-scale cooling systems that average millions of liters of water a year. This large amount of water is equivalent to the water usage in THOUSANDS of American homes.
Ethical and Social Implications
Other concerns about AI are privacy and bias. The large amounts of data collected and processed by AI systems increase the risk of cyberattacks and data leaks. For those at risk of data breaches, AI systems should be designed to be transparent so users can understand how decisions regarding their personal information are made. There have also been cases of technological bias. According to IBM, some AI programs have been reinforcing harmful stereotypes and ideologies that are harmful to how we learn information. From dangerous societal assumptions, out-group homogeneity, exclusion, and misinformation all have made their way into databases.
While AI’s main purpose is to offer convenience, is it reducing people’s efforts to actually do things? People have been using AI for amazing things; however, it seems the over-reliance on it has stunted skill development for some (i.e., conducting proper research, lack of human effort, and technological dependency). If AI completes tasks that usually require human effort, it makes individuals become less engaged and unable to develop their own personal skills. The overconsumption of AI to do simple tasks like making a grocery list, reading a simple article, or writing an essay is taking away from the human experience of actually pushing ourselves to our fullest potential.
The Future of AI on Earth
This article is not intended to bash AI, especially since people have been using its advancements for great things across various industries. AI has contributed to significant progress in medical research, fraud detection, education, and risk management.
It has also been playing a major role in making itself more sustainable to reduce its environmental impact. Companies like Google and NASA are utilizing AI to track climate change issues and predict climate patterns before they occur, allowing them to address potential problems in advance.
Ways Humans Can Help:
- Challenge yourself: Instead of only relying on an AI chatbot for all your worldly questions and inquiries, research on your own to fully understand the concept of things (ex: Conducting research in your local library instead of using ChatGPT or any other chatbot).
- Choose low-energy tech options: Use simpler, less AI-driven platforms when available (ex: not using AI-powered editing apps and sticking to traditional ones)
- Encourage human design & creativity: Opt for human writers, artists, and professionals instead of AI-generated system alternatives.
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AI is an incredible tool that is changing the way we work, create, and solve problems. It can make life easier, open up new possibilities, and even help tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges. When used wisely, it’s a game-changer, pushing us toward a future full of innovation and progress. But as amazing as AI is, it’s important not to be overly dependent on it. Relying on it too much, especially for the little things, can take away from what makes us human and is hurting the earth. Creativity, problem-solving, and real human connection can’t be replaced by algorithms. Ultimately, you should use AI-powered programs as an aid for projects and tasks, not as a way to run your life.