For as long as social media has been part of society, seemingly brainless entertainment has been a staple in the online experience. As influencers and content creators have made their mark in the digital landscape over the years, countless niche internet references and “brainrot” quotes have developed into something reminiscent of a universal language, allowing fellow chronically online folk across the globe to distract and detach themselves from reality.
While admittedly unintellectual content is nothing new to social media, the spread of generative artificial intelligence has evolved apps like Instagram and Tiktok from being wholesomely cringeworthy to becoming the intellectual and environmental regression capitals of the world.
First of all, it’s statistically proven that the use of artificial intelligence has detrimental effects on the environment. Just last year, the Government Digital Sustainability Alliance reported that AI is predicted to lead to a sizable global increase of water consumption, resulting in widespread shortages. Considering every generative AI system requires water data centers to cool computers and generate electricity, overuse of AI has already become a significant contributor in environmental issues such as drought and global warming.
Moreover, while the dangers of generative AI towards the planet are immediately obvious, relying on artificial intelligence as a source of entertainment also is detrimental to human creativity. Rather than appreciating man made content on social media, AI generated artwork, poetry, podcasts, etc. have taken over the digital world. Social media used to be an outlet for genuine originality, but nowadays just about anyone is now able to take three seconds out of their day and upload a prompt into ChatGPT or SoraAI. Human creativity and humor has undeniably been placed on the back burner in favor of things like computer generated rabbits jumping on trampolines and AI fruit Love Island.
In this day and age, artificial intelligence is inescapable. Just about every aspect of modern day life has been overtaken by AI. But what was intended to be a tool for the betterment of humanity is only setting us back exponentially. So, before you find yourself opening ChatGPT, ask yourself if an image of your dog as a human is worth sacrificing a clean planet and a naturally intelligent society.