It begs the question: why doesn’t anyone care about the dangers of AI? In a generation full of people environmentally conscious enough to avoid littering and eco-friendly enough to refrain from leaving the faucet running, where is the reluctance to use generative AI? Are people that uninformed? Or just that careless?

Research shows that on average one ChatGPT search consumes 5-10x more energy than a traditional search. Not only that, but the data centers that are needed to power artificial intelligence require copious amounts of freshwater. The supercomputers housed in these centers consume billions of liters of water as a part of a cooling process that helps to ensure continuous computing is prioritized. It shouldn’t be lost on anyone that only 3% of all earth’s water is safe for consumption and approximately ¼ of people globally lack access to clean water. The fact of the matter is that ai is too hungry a beast for us to feed. Several companies have made pledges to become “water positive” by 2030, Google, Microsoft, Meta, but experts are already questioning how they intend to honor their promises. With an ever-increasing demand for ai computing power, pledging to return more freshwater than they will consume with no clear plan on how to do so seems like a false hope. When looking at the facts it becomes increasingly clear that artificial intelligence requires far too much of a natural resource that we already have far too little of.

As AI continues to endanger our planet’s resources, it also ushers in a new wave of environmental racism—something all but certain to be exacerbated by time. Elon Musk and his artificial intelligence company, xAI are already facing lawsuits from the NAACP over their air pollution. The company continues to use over 30 unpermitted gas turbines in South Memphis resulting in public health risks. The historically black neighborhood of Boxtown and other minority communities nearby have been put at risk with environmentalists revealing that these turbines emit thousands of tons of nitrogen oxides annually. Residents of these neighborhoods have reported poor air quality, difficulty breathing, and health concerns pertaining to the operation of the data center. With the EPA under attack by our current administration and a continued history of America to neglect its black citizens, it’s imperative that we advocate for the people who are most often disenfranchised and endangered.

We also have to carefully examine all of the risks that AI present to people of color, specifically African Americans. in the past few months alone we’ve seen Donald Trump share AI videos of former president Barack Obama being arrested, footage of him piloting a fighter jet while dropping sewage waste on protestors who participated in the no kings rally, and just a few days ago the department of homeland security’s official twitter page reposted a video that featured a digitally altered caption suggesting several black teenagers were threatening ice officers. It should be extremely alarming that in a country where black people are 7x more likely than their white counterparts to be convicted of a serious crime, that the technology to manufacture deep fakes is readily available; furthermore, the willingness of our current administration to use it to defame and promote misinformation should set off alarms everywhere. Just last week in Baltimore, an unarmed black teen was handcuffed and nearly arrested by officers after AI surveillance footage inaccurately recognized a Dorito bag he was holding for a gun. The lack of legislation and absence of governance pertaining to artificial intelligence should be a serious concern, especially for a community of people already marginalized and scapegoated. Research has shown for years now that ai perpetuates harmful racial bias & reinforces discriminatory ideologies. We should all expect that without the proper precautions, this will only get worse with time.

We’re also beginning to see the impact that AI is having on artists—and artists as a whole. With the swipe of a finger or the press of a button, and ai at your disposal, you can digitally materialize some of the wildest things you can think of. Generating images online is not a new or foreign concept, but things that once required the skill of a painter or the talents of a designer, the perspective of a photographer or tenacity of a writer are slowly being usurped by the computing powers of data centers. The use of ai for artistic purposes takes opportunities out of the hands of creatives and assigns the task to a machine. For the second year in a row now Coca-Cola has used ai for their annual Christmas commercial, and companies like Heinz, Nutella, Ben & Jerry, and many more have already begun incorporating the use of ai in their ad campaigns. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, artists are 3.6x more likely than U.S. workers in general to be self-employed. ensuring the availability of opportunities for actual creatives is in this new dawn of generative ai is a must. When consuming, creating, and critiquing art, we have to remember the importance of the creative process itself. Computers produce based on command, lack intuition, and they do not have the capacity to feel or independently think. We take for granted the beauty of the work that goes into our art when we lazily look to ai to supplement or supersede our talents.

Furthermore, we’re beginning to see an increase in the use of Ai in educational settings & in the workplace. students are reading less than ever and relying on ai to complete research on their behalf, even going so far as to cheat or plagiarize their work entirely. Recent studies show that it actually weakens thinking skills, raising concerns about the long-term effects it could have on our students. and it doesn’t just stop there. A multicenter observational study published in 2025 revealed that several doctors got worse at diagnosing cancer in patients after regularly using ai software to do so. Another study reports that the ai produced “work-slop” (content featuring elaborate wording and sophisticated verbiage, but is devoid of any real meaning) is leading to a decline in productivity in the workplace. The use of AI in our schools and in our respective work fields masquerades itself as convenient and innovative, but we still are completely misguided in our attempts to safely incorporate it into our day to day lives. We have to be sure to carefully examine the relationship that we have with ai and the future implications it will present. With literacy levels at the lowest they’ve been in several decades, it’s never been more important that we put precedence on reading, writing, and thinking independently. and with the threat of a recession on the horizon, ensuring productivity at work could be the difference between having a job and having to job search.

Despite all of the aforementioned, there may very well be some benefits that come with the use of artificial intelligence. and while the capabilities are seemingly endless, there are still very real dangers associated with the unbridled use of it. until the necessary work has been done to ensure public safety & proper regulation, we have to use it sparingly–if at all. but with just about everyone you know using ai on a regular basis– what can you do to enact real change? The first step, and perhaps the most important, is spreading information. seeing as though ai has seen somewhat of a revolution with its rapid growth in recent years, ignorance is a plausible excuse. There may be people who are unaware of the risks associated with the use of ai, and our best tool against a lack of knowledge is a surplus of it. Share with others the information that you’ve learned, and if you yourself have fallen victim to the allure of ai, research alternatives for the sites you’ve become accustomed to using. Practice using traditional methods of research, work with local artists to bring to life your content ideas, and avoid using programs that automatically incorporate ai into their softwares. Through concerted action and continuous effort, we can make a difference in protecting not only our planet, but our communities as well.