I am morally against the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), but I'm not blind to its utility.
As an environmental studies major from the Pacific Northwest, of course I want to preserve this planet and the dignity of the people who live here.
Over one million people around the world lack access to water, while AI data centers use the equivalent water consumed by a city of 50,000 people everyday.
When I read statistics like this, they make me feel guilty even when I use the AI overview banner instead of opening the first Google link.
And as someone who genuinely enjoys writing, I avoid using AI to generate my words — something I will stand by forever.
But as much as I'd like to deny its existence, the future is upon us, and I am a member of the generation that is either going to master AI’s potential or lose control over it.
AI’s capacity is rapidly developing, especially with generative AI advancements. Currently, AI is capable of writing our essays, generating any queued image and conducting data analysis better than most, if not all, humans.
Hey, maybe it could write this piece better than me — but probably not. AI still has its flaws which is exactly my point as to why we need to get ahead of the AI curve.
There will not come a better time than now to establish our dominance over AI. Because of this, I'm going to open my mind to learning as much as I can about AI to become as literate as I can be.
There is immense financial incentive to drive AI advancement forward. It is creeping into every industry, and any opportunity-savvy person is trying to get a foot in that door. Because of this, it is naive to hope that policy will limit or negate its spread into every sector of our lives. Even if we close our eyes, it’s not going to go away.
Before technology, information was a scarce resource, so the people who had it held immense power over those who didn’t. Now information is abundant, and with AI advancements, unlimited information will be accessible and free to everyone, reducing society’s need for human experts.
Since we can’t beat the AI industry, we might as well join them. Investing either economically or morally will benefit us in the future.
AI is the Microsoft of the 21st century. I bet you know a Generation X person who laments not investing in Microsoft at the beginning of the technological boom. That history is repeating itself; it’s occurring again right now, and it’s escalating even quicker.
But AI poses issues strictly because it is not sentient. It lacks ethical considerations for social life and invasions of privacy. AI can have biases, due to incidental hallucinations and corruption, or intentional bias.
AI also harms humanity in other ways. It produces 2.5-3.7% of global carbon dioxide emissions, which is more than the aviation industry. AI is not only eliminating jobs, but AI is displacing communities predisposed to vulnerability.
We also cannot neglect the intellectual harms of AI, like destroying the need for imagination.
AI cannot mimic human sentiment and creativity. It will never be able to truly comprehend the ways we perceive the world and connect with one another. This is why it’s crucial that we don’t let it take over, that we don’t let our guard down.
There is a point of singularity, meaning a benchmark of limitless capacity for intelligence, where AI advancements will surpass human intelligence and the power dynamic between us and technology will flip.
Imagine the spaceship from Wall-E, but you can’t discern what’s real and what’s not. Okay, that’s my prediction, but really I have no clue what state the world will be in.
Maybe AI has a better idea. Let’s find out.
Me:
“What will life be like for Gen Z in the workforce in 2055 when AI reaches a point of singularity?”
ChatGPT:
“By 2055, Gen Z will likely work alongside highly intelligent AI systems that handle most routine and analytical tasks, shifting human work toward creativity, ethics, empathy and strategy. Traditional full-time jobs may give way to flexible, project-based roles, with lifelong learning and adaptability becoming essential for both economic survival and personal fulfillment.”
Sounds to me like AI plans to take over while setting the rest of us up to be distracted by our hobbies.
That may sound appealing at first, but for an entire lifetime? I’d prefer to have a full-time job.
An extreme example of dystopian AI governance could be that at an advanced point of singularity, governments may be replaced by AI systems that make all policy decisions, enforce laws and manage resources with algorithmic precision, eliminating human leadership entirely.
This is a scary thought, and it’s a totally plausible future if we let our AI ignorance get the better of us. That includes those of us who are reluctant to use AI.
Boycotting AI for ethical reasons is perfectly valid and logically sound. It is a new technology that is wrecking the planet, while simultaneously stealing our personal information.
It is easy to put our heads in the sand and pretend AI is not there. But that’s not going to stop big AI, and it isn’t productive for people who want to stay ahead of the curve.
Just as the printing press put scribes out of work, cars put carriage drivers out of work and machines put farm workers out of work. Boycotting these technologies has never affected their utilization.
If we want to be in control of AI, we need to be fluent in its digital language, and that only occurs through giving ourselves permission to use it in the first place.
Parallel to AI seizing many jobs in fields such as data entry, computer science and creative writing, there is going to be an influx of new opportunities in other industries. These opportunities are created by the need for an intermediary between AI and people.
This is the idea my generation needs to grab hold of and not let go.
For people like me, who are hesitant, or even reluctant, to use AI despite its obvious benefits, this is my suggestion: Use your passion for sustainability to drive your cultivation of this upcoming AI movement.
Be that bridge between people and AI, because there is a huge gap that’s currently vacant right now. If we can populate those positions that guide and regulate the power of AI, we can be the ones that put the brakes on that industry.
We need to be the ones who promote the narrative that unregulated AI advancement isn’t in our societies’ best interest.
We can’t be the only ones that want to preserve authentic human creation, because that’s what societies have revolved around for millennia.
All we must do is use our unique human capabilities, like our creativity, passion and empathy, to direct the AI boom, because those are capabilities that AI will never surpass us in.
Clara Pehling is a news reporter for The Beacon. She can be reached at pehling28@up.edu.
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