In modern society, there are so many open resources at our fingertips. I could pull out my phone and Google something like “What is the best way to cook chicken?” Within less than one second, I could have hundreds of thousands of recipes at my fingertips.
However, as society becomes more technologically advanced, AI seems to be popping up everywhere. Now, I would be lying if I said that I have never used AI. When I was a teacher, I would open ChatGPT and write something like “How can I modify this assignment for a student with dyslexia?” Within seconds, I would have answers at my fingertips. It made life feel so much easier.
My mom also loves those AI-generated videos that she gets on her TikTok. They seem harmless, just cute little videos of cartoon hamsters dancing around.
But there is a price for everything. I was recently scrolling on TikTok and I saw Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, a United States Representative from New York, talking about Meta AI Data Centers. In the video, she holds up a mason jar of something that does not remotely resemble water. At first, it reminded me of the times my grandpa would put vegetable soup in mason jars for us to take home after eating at his house. It was a rusty color, something liquid. To my horror, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez revealed that this is the current drinking water in Morgan County, Georgia. I paused the video in disbelief, looking at the state of the water. She said there was a meta data center constructed and it led from clean drinking water to this dirty water. When I looked it up, this county had over 20,000 residents at the 2020 census. I could not even imagine making one person drink this, let alone 20,000.
Now, I know that’s why things like Brita Filters exist, but how much can they really filter out? If the water looks like this, how could it become drinkable?
This led me down a rabbit hole at 2 a.m. What I found truly disgusted me. I could not believe that I had helped contribute to this. Yes, I saved time, but my time saved resulted in people not being able to have a clean glass of water.
Our lives revolve around water. We use water to bathe, wash clothes, cook meals, drink, fill pools, and so many other things. Who would want to put this murky water anywhere near their skin, let alone in their body?
AI isn’t going anywhere, that much is clear. However, we can definitely slow its impacts. Back to my teaching example. Instead of using AI to help me modify assignments, I could read textbooks from my college days in education classes to get the answers. Instead of watching those hamster videos on her FaceBook, my mom could watch a television show or YouTube videos. Little changes can make a big impact.
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