I'm Skipping AI to Save the World and My Sanity

I hate AI. It's all in the name. Artificial. Why do we need artificial intelligence? Isn't human intelligence enough? After all, wasn't it human intelligence that created AI?

Just a few years ago, AI was still warming up. Now, I can't seem to do anything without it popping up in some form. Is that cute Instagram post real or AI-generated? That AI-generated search summary is nice, but it's missing some vital information.

I'm one of the many users that ditched Duolingo when the company decided AI was better than humans for course creation. I've also found myself avoiding sites that have swapped out their writers for bland, robotic AI content. Yes, I am glad to see many of those sites failing.

But why do I hate AI so much? Is it because I love to write and AI puts my dreams at risk? Maybe a little, but that's not the real reason.

AI Is Killing Our Brains

Yep, you read that right. I didn't need studies to know that having artificial intelligence replace your actual intelligence is bad for you.

Think of it like replacing a healthy apple with apple flavored candy. I've had apple flavored candy that surprisingly did taste just like an apple. But, did it give me any health benefits? Did it make me feel full? Nope. It just gave me a sugar rush and scum on my teeth.

My frustrations with AI aren't without merit. I read a post from News Atlas that said AI is making people stupid. Rich Haridy, the writer, summed it well by saying "the enshittification of our digital world." Yes, our digital world somehow went and got even worse.

Our brains aren't having to do anything more than ask a question and let something else do all the work.

If you don't think AI is making our brains turn to mush, just look at comments on social media. Instead of reading or even thinking, users ask the same dumb questions over and over. Questions that they could answer themselves with a simple search on any search engine other than Google.

Why not Google? That's where you go to not find relevant results. Seriously, it's a dumpster fire filled with dirty diapers, spewing noxious fumes all over the Internet.

Yet, even if someone answers them. They don't bother to read the answer. It's even worse on X. Users can't even figure out what a basic post, video, or image is without asking Grok. I mean, I guess if I wasted my money for the premium version of X to still see ads, I might be too stupid to understand things too.

The problem is while AI is busy killing our brains, it's also filling them full of wrong information. Because it's technology, everyone believes it must be true.

Somehow, AI's become a late night infomercial. If it's on TV and the perky host tells us the product works, it must be true, right? Hell no.

The same with AI. Sure, ChatGPT gives us an answer. Does that mean it's correct. Nope. Sometimes it's right, sometimes it's terribly wrong. There's even a tiny disclaimer that you shouldn't trust the results. Does anyone read it? No. They just spout the results like they're suddenly an expert.

AI Is Increasingly Creepy

I ghostwrite tech guides and news for several clients. That means I have to test various AI tools. What I've seen is creepy as hell. Even higher end image and video tools give humans extra limbs, turn animals into strange hybrids, and can't get words right no matter what prompts you use.

At first glance, some AI-generated images and videos look amazing. Then, you notice the finer details. Once you notice, it's hard to look away.

I keep seeing AI-generated people and it feels more like a sci-fi movie where aliens are wearing human skins. It all looks too perfect and stiff. And, you can't help but feel that something's not quite right.

The World's At Stake

I said I'm skipping AI to save the world. I'm not being dramatic. I skipping it to save my brain, add more human-generated content to the world, and even more importantly, save the environment.

It's well documented that AI's energy consumption is astronomical. Plus, if you've ever worked with servers, you know how hot they get. Water-powered cooling systems are used to keep the millions of servers used for generative AI cooler.

All that extra energy used also increases carbon dioxide in the environment. I don't need to tell you that's not good.

Add to this the mining necessary to create the GPUs behind AI and you've got a highly unsustainable model. It's dangerous for the entire world.

I know most of us don't think about these quick and easy AI tools being detrimental to the environment, but they are. Consider asking AI to create a simple image the same as having a small country drop everything and work on your task.

Leave AI for Better Purposes

I'm perfectly capable of looking through search results, scanning content, reading, and analyzing what I've consumed. I don't need AI for that. I suck at anything art or video related, but there are numerous artists out there creating new content all the time for me to enjoy.

The same goes for written content. I want to consume text that comes from a human. Not a human brain rotted by AI. I want creativity, passion, experience.

I'm not saying AI is completely evil. I've seen recent cases where AI is being used to detect over a hundred types of cancer from a single blood test with increasing accuracy. AI has helped disabled people regain at least some ability to walk and talk after traumatic injuries.

This is the kind of things we need AI for. We don't need it to run our daily lives.

I've tried numerous AI tools. They're all flawed. So, why not put more research behind using AI to help the world versus making the world even more lazy? Let's make people use their brains more versus sitting on their asses asking inane questions over and over again.

Help me out. Start limiting how much you use AI. Trust me. You won't miss it.