AI stands for artificial intelligence, but is it really “intelligent” if it plagiarizes thousands of people every day? I think not. If you didn’t know already, AI is very harmful to our environment.
The GPT-3 AI model uses about 1,300 megawatt-hours of electricity, equivalent to the annual consumption of 130 U.S. homes. AI’s electricity consumption is rapidly increasing, with data centers currently accounting for a significant portion of global power demand, estimated to have been around 1.5% of global consumption in 2024 and potentially rising to 3% by 2030. So imagine how much energy it’s gonna waste in 20 or 30 years from now. According to the DW (Germany’s international broadcaster), AI wastes billions of water annually primarily to cool down the vast server farms, or data centers, where it operates. This cooling process often involves evaporating large quantities of clean, treated water, into the atmosphere, which strains local water supplies, especially in dry regions. Data centers use large amounts of clean water in a process where water is sprayed onto hot components to absorb heat. As the water heats up, it evaporates, taking heat with it and releasing clean water vapor into the air. This evaporated water is then lost to the water supply. Equipment used to train and run generative AI models could produce up to 5 million metric tons of e-waste by 2030, a relatively small but significant fraction of the global total. E-waste is the term to describe things like air conditioners, televisions, and personal electronic devices like cell phones and laptops when they’re thrown away. These devices often contain hazardous or toxic materials that can harm human health or the environment if they’re not disposed of properly.
With some powerful AI models, generating an image can require as much energy as charging up your phone. Create 1,000 images with a model like Stable Diffusion XL, and you’ve produced as much carbon dioxide as driving just over four miles in a gas-powered car.
So, you’re probably wondering “why should I even care about this?” Well, I think AI is very unnecessary and there’s just no good reason for it to be around. I think it’s bad for students to have because they can cheat easily, and it has them not use their brain and actually work on an assignment. It doesn’t help them learn anything at all, all it does is do the assignment for them. Students relying on AI are essentially numbing themselves to the concept of learning. There’s no critical thinking, analysis, or evaluation involved. And according to psych4schools, 25% of students already feel disengaged from their learning; there doesn’t need to be a reason for that number to increase. Students must be engaged with real-life learning experiences and simulations for learning to be impactful.
I think AI is also bad for adults, because they just rely on it for almost everything. I’ve seen grown adults use it to make grocery lists, book reports, apology texts, business marketing, and even answering a simple question about a photography business. This is unacceptable because adults should know how to do these simple tasks instead of relying on a computer to do it for them. Even if adults don’t know how to do some things, they should have the proper education and critical thinking skills to be able to research how to do it rather than relying on AI to tell them.
My opinion is that I don’t think people should use AI anymore. It’s really bad for the environment and it’s just ridiculous to use when we can form our own thoughts for things. I mean, AI is even taking people’s simple jobs. Like how some Taco Bell drive thru’s are using AI, and people are angry about it. I know how “fun” and silly AI can be but you should think about the planet before your amusement. Our future will probably be affected by AI, meaning that it literally might be everywhere by the time we’re 30. So the next time you want to write a silly prompt into Chat GBT, or have AI do an assignment for you, or generate a silly photo, remember what it’s doing to the planet and what it’s doing to you.
