Some, if not most, people treat generative AI as if it’s an ultimate assistant, a smart tool, with little consequence, and is thus used almost everywhere, and the usage is only growing. Research from Pew Research Center indicates that 57 percent of people say they use AI at least once a day. We market AI as an easy solution for any type of work, like getting information, having human connection, and schoolwork. But should we be relying on AI, especially when we don’t know much about it?
I think not. We should try avoiding generative AI for the time being, especially now, where we need to take extra accountability for our lives. Relying on AI has negative impacts on you, the environment, and everyone else.
First, we need to explain how generative AI works, and how it is different from how we think. Our current form of AI does not experience, only works off of existing training data (that is sometimes prone to hallucination), does not have its own will, and therefore does not have creativity. This means that AI can easily be wrong, and AI writing and AI art do not constitute creativity. If AI is supposed to do art and writing “more efficiently,” is expression supposed to be a menial task?
When we rely on an AI all the time for our problems, asking it “Hey, how do I do this? Can you do this for me?” we learn to always rely on it instead of using problem solving skills or critical thinking. When you don’t have immediate access to AI, these people will have an extremely difficult time doing things on their own, because problem solving is a skill that is learned and maintained through experience. When AI hallucinates or is misinformed, these people might assume that it’s true, because critical thinking is also a skill that AI prevents us from training, as we blindly trust it to do any task.
So, if AI is a net harm to us, then why do we keep expanding it? It’s because it looks like it’s profitable, and appeals to investors. Keeping paying users that trust and rely on it is as easy as making it sound reliable, clean, and elegant; advertising it as such and as the best solution; and making sure any consequences are hidden beyond anyone not willing to do too much research.
Then, what do we do? Spread the word, tell your family and friends to avoid AI, and keep away from AI products. Opt out of things like Gemini, if possible. Instead of using AI to do menial tasks, optimize your time and learn how to do them! And do your art and writing yourself, even if you aren’t good at it at first.
