The presence of artificial intelligence presents a complex challenge for Generation Z—a group of pupils restricted by limited attention spans and a lack of effort. As a college student, I have experienced firsthand the impacts of artificial intelligence in an increasingly technological world. Each syllabus I have received in my time as an undergraduate student has included a section outlining the permissions around AI in each course. When I study at the library, it is a rare sight to not see ChatGPT littered amongst the tabs at the top of a student’s computer screen.
Our Generation has found themselves completely captivated by artificial intelligence. Whether humans turn to it for advice or for help on a homework assignment, our dependency is a real cause for concern. And whilst artificial intelligence has clearly created disruption in the classroom, it has also caused destruction for our planet.
Given how new artificial intelligence is and the rate of its progression, it can be difficult to determine its benefits and dangers. Through the research that has been conducted regarding artificial intelligence and the environment, scientists have discovered alarming trends with the device. The data centers that host the technology needed to generate artificial intelligence require mass amounts of energy—energy that is not clean. The energy produced when an AI-based request occurs includes greenhouse gases that further warm our planet, contributing to global warming. After seeing the Los Angeles fires rage on, this information causes one to question if artificial intelligence is worth sacrificing our planet.
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I have thankfully been able to sustain a satisfactory record as a college student without the help of ChatGPT. However, just in the past year, our world has become increasingly centered around the offerings of the artificial mind. When I went to Google a question about ChatGPT while writing this piece, the first result was a large box provided by Google’s AI assistant. The device has become unavoidable. With how prevalent AI has become, it is rare to meet someone who has not experimented with it. These experiments add up, resulting in mass destruction for our planet.
The waste produced through this technology continues to plague our Earth. A figure from the College of Information and Computer Sciences at University of Massachusetts Amherst details the staggering number of CO2 emissions exhausted through different scenarios. While 126 ounds of CO2 emissions are exhausted through U.S. car manufacturing and fuel consumption, this number plates in comparison to the 626.2 pounds of CO2 emissions exhausted while training one AI model. Imagine the weight of this number while considering the prevalence of artificial intelligence in one’s daily life. A chef consults AI to tweak a recipe. A student types an equation they are solving into ChatGPT. People begin to turn away from traditional search engines in favor of Artificial Intelligence.
These small equations multiply. They conquer. As dependence on AI increases, our Earth suffers. How much longer will we continue to rely on this intelligence, rather than the resources our Earth provides for us?
Lindsay Anderson is an English or Creative Writing Sophomore at the University of Iowa, United States, and a contributor to the New Climate Journal.
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