But, why AI?

Like most sane people, I have grown to hate AI the more it’s pushed into my face.

I’m not talking about all AI, like Siri, Alexa, or adaptive NPC’s in video games. I’m talking about Fruit Love Island, Suno, NanoBanana, and all the other harmful programs that serve to do nothing but distort reality.

Poisoning water with data centers, decreasing literacy rates and social ability, literally stealing the actual hard work of artists and scholars, and giving larger conglomerates and evil people plausible deniability.

But, why? If people are constantly saying ‘AI is bad,” then why is it still consistently being pushed and used?

The real answer is reality being so bleak for so many, and rich companies wanting to be even richer, shocker. But another reason could be the ways in which we talk about the cons.

A lot of people understand that AI in this unregulated amount is bad.

Maybe due to some innate human reaction to things pretending to be like us, or they conflate talking points to the point of becoming misinformation.

AI is being pushed not for the purpose of meaningful innovation, but for endless profit; the consequences of which we bear the cost of. We should not give in to the temptations of it, but that is easier said than done.

The reality is that AI has been around for a while.

Artificial Intelligence simply refers to any man-made program that can act free of the direct control of a user.

Big companies have been using predictive AI for things like risk management and market prediction. The ‘boom’ that we’ve been seeing in recent years is simply due to the fact that it has become accessible to everyday people, and the companies funding and creating it are richer than ever.

The biggest developers of AI are OpenAI, Palantir, Google, MidJourney, Microsoft, and IBM.

The only reason people have excessive access to AI isn’t because these companies care about making life any easier for us.

It has been, and will only ever be, so they can make more and more money. 

The main issue with the development of AI is the data centers.

The argument that anti-AI debaters like to use is the effects that these data centers have on the environment.

Some say the data centers use too much water, and they’re going to exhaust all of humanity’s water resources. Some say that they’re pumping noxious greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, driving us further and further over that point-of-no-return.

The reality is that all of that is true, mostly.

The issue lies in how the water is being used and where. According to the Florida Water & Pollution Control Operators Association (https://www.fwpcoa.org/content.aspx?page_id=5&club_id=859275&item_id=130961), roughly 75-90% of all these data centers use water as their main source of coolant.

The water is used to cool off these huge machines that contain troves of data and run these AI programs, which is then improperly filtered and sent back out into the area from which the water was taken.

Most of the areas where these data centers lie are areas with high water stress already.

Places like rural Arizona and Georgia are complaining about the lack of water pressure required to keep their states running through dust control and advanced city cooling technologies.

One Oregon town found that Google’s data centers used over 25% of the city’s water supply in 2021. Here's a clear paraphrased version with the same meaning: Data centers that rely on water-based cooling systems generate significant amounts of wastewater. This wastewater may contain chemical additives such as biocides and corrosion inhibitors, high concentrations of dissolved minerals from scaling, and heavy metals that accumulate within the cooling system.

If it is not properly treated before discharge, it can contaminate nearby rivers and streams or place excessive demands on municipal wastewater treatment facilities. In some communities, sudden increases in wastewater discharge from data centers have stretched the capacity of local treatment plants, raising concerns about downstream water quality.

As a result, some municipalities now require data centers to treat their wastewater on-site by installing dedicated treatment systems before releasing it. Continuous water quality monitoring is becoming increasingly important to detect contaminants or unusual changes in water parameters early.

Evaluating only the amount of water consumed overlooks a critical aspect of sustainability.

Ensuring that discharged water is properly treated and safely managed is equally, if not more, important for protecting local water resources and surrounding communities.

The widespread use of artificial intelligence has raised concerns about its potential impact on literacy and artistic development among younger generations. As AI-powered tools become increasingly capable of generating essays, stories, artwork, and even music, young people may become more reliant on these technologies rather than developing their own reading, writing, and creative skills.

Excessive dependence on AI for completing school assignments or producing creative work can reduce opportunities to practice critical thinking, vocabulary development, and original expression, all of which are essential for literacy. Similarly, when AI generates artwork or creative content with minimal human effort, young learners may spend less time experimenting, refining techniques, and cultivating their own artistic abilities.

While AI can serve as a valuable educational and creative aid when used responsibly, overreliance on it may hinder the development of the imagination, problem-solving skills, and creative confidence that are built through sustained practice and independent effort.

Furthermore, the rapid advancement of AI-generated content has also contributed to growing skepticism toward independent artists and musicians, particularly those who lack widespread recognition or established reputations.

As AI tools become capable of producing increasingly sophisticated music, visual art, and written works, audiences may become more inclined to question the authenticity of creative works produced by lesser-known creators.

Independent artists whose work demonstrates a high level of technical skill or polished production are sometimes accused of using AI without evidence, simply because their success appears unexpected or their style resembles AI-generated content.

These unfounded accusations can undermine an artist's credibility, damage their reputation, and diminish public appreciation for the time, effort, and originality invested in their work. In contrast, well-established creators with stronger public trust and professional credentials are often less likely to face the same level of scrutiny.

As a result, the rise of AI has created an environment in which independent creators may feel compelled to prove the authenticity of their work, adding an unnecessary burden to an already competitive creative landscape.

So the real question is, what now?

Clearly, these companies couldn’t care less about what the general public wants or needs, so how can we, as a society, move forward with this impending villain constantly creeping up on us?

The best strategy is to hold ourselves and those around us accountable.

The money is where it matters. No, you do not need to make an AI poster; the public would rather a stick figure drawing than the repetitive slop AI has a personal touch for. No, you do not need to turn your texts into a song; just sing them really badly like the rest of us. You don't need to spend money trying to get an AI to make something perfect or easy.

On top of this, make your voice heard. Do your own research about these data centers, and how close one is to being built near you.

Email your local legislators. Go to town hall meetings. Also, keep your family in the loop.

So many of our older population are falling prey to AI. It is up to us to guide them in the right direction, to let them know that, “No, Nanna, elephants cannot jump on trampolines.”

There are many ways that we can combat this and turn back towards humanity, but it truly is going to take all of us.