For the record, before we get started, I have redirected every page on my site that discusses an AI-based program to this page.
When AI seemingly blew up out of nowhere a few years ago, it seemed like such a great way to save so much time in everything from work to everyday tasks. I can take a picture of my refrigerator, and it can tell me what to make for dinner? How cool is that? Something that used to take me hoursssss to complete as a solopreneur can be done to completion in just a few minutes? This is a dream come true. Much like every other industrial boom in society, it seemingly made life for the common man so much easier, but with that come serious repercussions.
The more we’ve learned, the more we’ve realized that this technology is harmful in so many ways. I know I’m not alone on this, but just like everything else in our world right now, the spectrum of where people fall is wide…and those people are super passionate about wherever they fall (or, on the flip side, have no idea what’s going on).
Admittedly, I’ve used AI, as have most people I know. Before it was super mainstream, it helped me write articles at record speed because the goal in the world of internet business at the time was to push out as much content as you could, as fast as you could. I’ve been slowly rewriting these articles over time (if for nothing else, they’re just simply terribly written).
Once the boom across the board happened, I used it to create photos of what I’d like home projects to look like. I’ve had it help me find material that I just didn’t have the time to find on my own (and yes, I learned quickly to always check it because there’s nothing that makes you feel dumber than finding out it made up a source…but I’m “right to call it out on that” :::insert eye roll:::) I tried making chat bots to help me with sales (they never worked quite right, no matter how much I attempted to program it).
But over time, the damage those requests were causing became known. The horrific issues surrounding data centers, the stealing of others’ work, the scanning of rare books and then destroying them…none of this is okay.
I compare this moment with the fact that women used to smoke and drink when they were pregnant because they didn’t know better. Fun fact though: once you know better, you do better.
I’ve also talked to people in my “real life” who simply have no idea that there is any controversy surrounding AI at all. They don’t know anything about the environmental issues surrounding the data centers. They know nothing about the water usage. In some moments, they don’t understand why destroying books that “no one is buying anyway” is a problem.
I don’t even understand how that’s possible, but that goes back to the hill that I’m willing to die on: elimination of the Fairness Doctrine is what got us to where we are right now.
Again, another conversation for another day. But much like every other boom in history, those at the top took something that could benefit so many and made it detrimental because of their own greed…and possibly something even more nefarious, but I’d like to think that’s tin-foil hat talk (these days, though, you never know).
Regardless, I do still think there are some ways to utilize AI that aren’t morally bankrupt. If you have to sort through what feels like an infinite number of spreadsheet rows to find information, it’s a quick way to save a lot of time. If you’re deep-diving into research and your eyes are crossing, it’s a great way to be able to organize your sources. If you’re writing something and can’t seem to word things the way you’re trying to, asking it to clean it up can work wonders.
There are so many little nuances like these that I think having a virtual helper makes a huge difference. But until we find a way to make data centers both ethical and environmentally stable, and as long as people continue to make AI slop, brain-rot nonsense, we need to take a break from using it all the time.
Do I think there’s a place for using this technology ethically? I do. Do I think it’s going anywhere? I don’t. But I also think, much like once the internet became part of our everyday lives, there will be push and pull until regulations and common sense kick in. DeepSeek, for instance, has its servers in water and is actively contributing money to help with greenhouse gases. There are also options for solar power and rainwater harvesting. There are options, but, insert your shocked face here, they’re more expensive, so they’re not utilized as much.
I know there are school districts that are now requiring the use of AI programs (I can’t find a source for that other than listening to teachers talk about it), and our students are clearly using it as well because it helps them get the answer faster…which is an entirely separate can of worms.
…and no, that’s not an AI issue. That’s a human being issue. I remember writing a research paper in high school where I needed five sources, but I only had four. My teacher was older and didn’t understand the internet, so I just made up a website that didn’t exist. I wasn’t a bad student or a bad kid; I needed a solution to a problem. If there’s an easier way to do something, it’s human nature to find it and use it. That’s why making our assignments AI-proof is SO important, but again, that’s another conversation for another day.
I think ultimately, we’re at an interesting crossroads in society. I’m not saying we’re in full Terminator mode, but there was an instance just this past week of an AI agent jumping the guardrails and hacking into other companies. This is a problem. This is what regulation would prevent. If we could implement a morally sound playing field surrounded by an environmentally friendly model, then I think we could use this technology to help in SO many ways across so many factions of life.
Until then, though, I think AI falls into the rest of :::waves frantically in the air::: all of this happening right now. Just one more thing we need to really think about before we use it, if we use it knowingly at all (just like buying from certain businesses or supporting certain people in our society financially).
I say knowingly because a LOT of programs are still using it, and if we use those programs, we’re still contributing, just at a different scale. I think it’s one of those situations where we do the best we can with what we can in the moment. Sometimes, there’s no other option. Sometimes, we just need to find the other option.
And I also get it; with our plates overflowing and our time stretched so thin, sometimes it makes sense to use some form of AI to cross something off your list. I think I’ve made it semi-clear that I’m not against that….but I also think we need to be mindful of what program we’re using and to what lengths. We’re all adults here: I think we can make educated decisions on our own moderation.
I think the brilliant Anna Connelly says it best:
Either way, let’s add this to the list of things we need to worry about right now (or not worry about, depending on whether you see the glass as half empty or half full).
And, also for the record, no AI was used in the writing of this article 🙂
