At this point, it is an expectation that each and every person uses AI in some form — and honestly, it’s not an absurd conclusion. Pew Research Center found that 62% of Americans interact with AI several times a week. While writing an article that was quite critical of AI, many teachers would boldly assume that I used AI. Through other conversations, I found that many teachers would get assignments where the majority of students would complete it entirely with AI. I don’t blame them for assuming that every student uses it for everything.
I hear about teachers using AI for grading, students using it to do work, administrators using it for ideas and even journalists using it for headlines. At a family dinner the other night, an argument began over the justification of AI usage. Buzz word terms were thrown around, but ultimately there was no answer to the detriment AI was having on the climate.
Although it may speed up your note taking or save you some time on a Google search, each AI search query is adding to the electricity and water AI is eating up day to day.
Not only is AI eating at our already limited resources, but by relying on the convenience of AI, an aspect of the work process is lost. Prompting AI leaves out an extremely important aspect of research: critical thinking.
In a society where reading and math rates are already declining, the added addition of a robot in all of our pockets that can think for us is not very pretty. Many are choosing to prompt ChatGPT instead of trying to work their way through a problem or brainstorm.
Everything that AI can do was, at one point, extremely possible without it. Not only did these methods not come with an added carbon emission, but they were ours. No robot had claim over your thoughts and had no place in your mind.
Next time you go to ask ChatGPT something or generate the answer to your homework using gemini, consider exercising your brain and find the answer the old fashion way. By avoiding the use of AI not only are you helping protect our environment, but you are also protecting your own ability to think.
