Should everyone be allowed to use AI?
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Should everyone be allowed to use AI?
AI has become a tool used by billions everyday around the world. Every Day, ChatGPT alone uses 2.9 Gigajoules of Energy and 473 million litres of water. This wasteful use of AI cannot go on forever. This is why I think AI should be only used by scientists.
Why should no ordinary person be allowed to use AI?
Many people use AI in their everyday life. It has become an essential in planning activities, solving problems, etc. Though most of those tasks can be done by computers or per Internet search - without AI – which uses 10 times less energy per search and consumes less water.
Why only scientists?
Scientists are the basis of society and how we know it today. Without scientists, we would not have streets, houses, computers, the list goes on. Without them, everything in our daily life would not exist. With increasing global challenges like climate change, it becomes increasingly important to support them, because only they will deliver a viable solution to those problems.
One person who might disagree with me is a person from the economic sector. AI is used in the economic sector because it helps cutting costs, hiring personnel and overall optimise the efficiency of the work being done. While I understand that it would come at a big economic cost, we need to weigh up economic damages against damage to the environment here. And the economic sector has shown that it will use any technology relentlessly without considering what it will do to the environment. And they are not doing anything to solve global problems like climate change either.
AI already contributes 2-3% of greenhouse gasses to climate change. By the end of this decade, AI is expected to produce millions of tonnes of electronic waste. And the amount keeps on growing, with every year, every month, every month, every day and every hour that passes with us doing nothing about it.
Comments (3)
AI should be available to everyone so everyone can get a fair chance to get a job in the modern world. What I mean by this is people who are exposed to AI have more experience with which creates a wider variety of jobs ; because most jobs these days are AI inclusive. This would put people who are not exposed to AI a disadvantage in getting a job.
I think you're missing my point here. Of course people are put at a disadvantage when they can't use AI. It's like one student having a calculator and the other one not having anything but paper and a pencil. That's not fair.
But this is not my point. Again, only scientists should be allowed to use AI. And they should only get to use it, when they need it. They would have to apply to their job without AI, like everyone will do. We have seen that this is indeed possible, people have done it for the last 15 years without issues. Everyone has the same possibilities in the job market - but without AI.
One additional advantage is that companies can't rely on AI to sort applications. This will make the process of getting a job easier, as there is more human interaction needed - it is not a machine that is excluding your resumee because you made one typo, no, it will be a human who understands that this does not affect your fit for the job.
Lastly, AI is just not sustainable at the moment. Job application can be enhanced with AI, but there are better ways to use it. Additionally, how do you want to control what people are using AI for when you are opening access to AI for everyone?
Until AI is more sustainable we should limit the use to the scientific field. Because only scientists can and will make relevant progress with the use of AI.
AI is now in our daily lives and works, for example in banks, schools, factories, healthcare etc. AI is built to make life easier and fun, as it can empower individuals and businesses, AI can help improve decision making and increase productivity. I think the issue is when people misuse it. I think the rate at which AI is used can be looked at, and policies and laws can be put in place as to the right use of AI. I believe AI shouldn't be used frequently except when it is extremely important
I agree, but how do we track if people will use it for the "right" thing? We can't really control that. Sure, we might be able to filter unnecessary requests, but there will inevitably be ways to evade this.
And sure, it might help the productivity or efficiency, but it's just too unsustainable right now. And I don't think it is realistic that policies and laws will be able to control or forbid unnecessary requests.
The only way to regulate AI use right now is, in my opinion, to deny access to it for certain job groups who don't need it. Alternatively, we could limit the use to say, 2 requests per day.
Until AI is more sustainable, this will be the only way to stop it causing too much damage to the environment and the education of future generations.
At the moment, AI is causing way more damage as it prevents.