In October, Fortune magazine reported that OpenAI’s CEO plans to use 250 gigawatts of new electricity, equal to about half of Europe’s all-time peak load, for future expansions.
While such news should’ve gone viral and primarily drawn concern, the reactions to it are mixed with indifference. Perhaps many of those who came across this headline swiped it away to divert their attention span towards something more entertaining. Some probably asked ChatGPT to summarise and verify the report itself. At the end of the day, not enough voices were heard.
The truth is, in roughly 3 years, AI has been powerfully integrated within our systems. In every single area of interest, AI is seeing unprecedented levels of usage, with generative AI generating content every second. On social media, some protests against AI are in motion, anticipating the threats that GenAI poses. However, as millions of downloads stack up for OpenAI’s Sora in just under a week, such protests are met with a disconnect.
Looking at the bigger picture, civilisation is not unfamiliar with the rapid advancement of technologies. Moreover, every state-of-the-art tool introduced in history came with a few trade-offs — trade-offs that were not huge compromises to the betterment of humanity. So, what exactly makes AI, specifically GenAI, a threatening presence in such expeditious explorations of technology?
First and foremost, the hazard that continued usage of AI poses towards our functioning environment is far worse than what we’re equipped to deal with. The deathly grip that climate change has on our Earth is being tightened with AI’s help, slowly crushing us by dismantling the concerted efforts at sustainability, and resetting progress.
The heat is on
In late September of this year, OpenAI and AI chipmaker Nvidia announced a “strategic partnership”, whereby the two tech giants will construct and implement up to 10 gigawatts of AI data centres, estimated to surpass the peak power consumption in Portugal or Switzerland. Furthermore, according to data from DC Byte, analysed by Bloomberg, power costs in areas close to major data centre activity have increased by up to 267% in only one month compared to five years ago. All of these point to not only a devastating energy crisis but the depletion of environmental vitality that could cost us a lot more than imaginable.
Earlier this year, Elon Musk’s xAI facility faced legal consequences as Memphis’ residents disputed that their portable methane gas turbines were poisoning Memphis’ air with no permit and no oversight. They protested boldly against Musk, mentioning repeated cases of sickness, frequent hospital and even funeral visits. Other cases reported rural areas adjacent to data centres facing the biggest consequences, with water running out, air being poisoned, and forests being cut down.
So far, the examples mentioned were threats to the environment posed by AI. But it doesn’t end there. AI-generated art is making creative professionals lose their jobs, while simultaneously being generated as an amalgamation of other artists’ works. While critiques on whether AI can replace soulful work are underway, students in schools and colleges are doing all their work using AI, stripping away their chances at learning such soulful work.
Additionally, there are no copyright laws effective against AI. In recent viral news, many noticed that TikTok videos made against the DoorDash woman who got sexually assaulted were all scripted by AI, with other people’s faces used against their consent. It begs to question whether recorded evidence of crimes will be tampered with using AI in the near future.
Even after establishing content, some counterarguments remain valid. How are we, the individuals, supposed to fight a structure that has been implanted by giant corporations into the general sphere? How does boycotting AI affect these huge entities that have already joined the rat race for its development?
Well, there’s no foolproof solution to this. However, what these big corporations benefit from the most is that we, the consumers, give in. They want us to believe that the structure is beyond repair, and that now we have to march onwards, leaving the burden on Mother Nature’s shoulders.
As rudimentary as it all sounds, AI works because we love it and use it regularly. AI is clearly here to stay. But we, the consumers, cannot settle for such a hazardous technology at the expense of the earth crying out for help.
Really, the key is to just start where you can. What GenAI does is no different from what we have done ourselves for a long while now, just with extra steps. While these extra steps feel like a hassle, this is what makes us human. Writing passionate essays, illustrating artworks, and even photoshopping memes have constituted culture regardless of AI. As AI crafts a hellscape, there will come a point where it will imitate our work to a T. But the suffering in itself is a labour of love that gives not only meaning but also beauty to the things we make.