Olivery Ni | Contributing Illustrator

With the rise of not-so-energy-efficient AI chatbots and profit-seeking companies replacing jobs with AI systems, AI has begun to acquire an extremely bad reputation. Many in Generation Z who are passionate about the social implications of the technology are completely boycotting AI, avoiding any website or platform that uses it. Rationale for this ranges from criticisms around the environmental impact of using chatbots as search engines to the concern of AI harming critical thinking skills. 

These valid criticisms, however, have seemingly evolved into a blanket attitude of “AI is bad,” and many young people have developed complete disdain for AI technology in general and even judge others engaging with the technology at all. I see this frequently when scrolling through TikTok, with people posting boycott lists of companies who use AI, often with no context on how the technology is being implemented. This overall hatred for AI leaves little room for nuanced discussion, discounts the long history and relationship AI has within tech, and dismisses the different ways AI is being used for society’s benefit. 

AI didn’t magically appear with the creation of ChatGPT. In fact, research on artificial intelligence began in the 1950s when English mathematician Alan Turing wanted to figure out if computers could think on their own. From the foundational concepts of AI laid by Turing, rapid growth in the field began, from the AI psychotherapists of the ’70s to the virtual assistants, spellcheckers, vacuum cleaners, and digital applications we know today. 

This makes the sudden hatred of AI all the more confusing. AI has been an integral part of the technology we use on a daily basis for decades now, even if we didn’t realize it before. The honest truth is that our disdain for AI is a misdirected manifestation of our disdain for the hyper-individualized, convenience-addicted society we live in. 

Large technology companies like OpenAI take advantage of this societal structure and push the energy-consuming, environment-killing chatbots that surround us in order to make profit. This deserves every last ounce of criticism from the general public, but this criticism shouldn’t devolve into complete and total rejection of AI. 

There are tons of efforts to utilize AI as a force for good. Chinese technology company Huawei has used AI to create an app that assists Deaf children with learning how to read through translating stories into sign language. The Mila – Quebec AI Institute uses AI to simulate changes in climate with the goal of reducing damage of climate change crises. Right here on WashU’s campus, Psychology Professor Josh Oltmans is figuring out how to develop AI to be used for psychological assessment. All of these examples above are proof that AI can make a positive impact on society and better our lives. 

Even with these examples of how AI is being used to make a positive impact, some might still argue that the negative social impact of the technology outweighs this. While scientists and researchers are using AI for what can be seen as beneficial to society, the majority of AI usage remains in using generative AI for everyday tasks (writing emails, creating images, etc.). One might argue that this majority of usage residing in generative AI does more harm than good, especially since this everyday use contributes to extreme water consumption for AI data centers. This very valid criticism, and other criticisms can be addressed through legislation and regulatory policies that help combat the negative effects of this AI usage. Simply choosing to ignore or not engage in anything AI-related does not solve these issues.

At the end of the day, we as human beings are the arbiters of technology. We can all decide collectively as students, professors, scientists, businesspeople, and humanists to make use of AI in a way that helps our academic community and society. We don’t have to dismiss AI just because it is currently in the hands of greedy corporations. We can make a conscious choice to shift the conversation to something productive and meaningful, instead of putting it down altogether. 

There is a future where AI is assisting doctors with life-saving medical interventions, helping nonprofits stay afloat, and supporting technology that helps millions. Let’s not let our social concerns guide us away from being a part of this future, and instead, let us embrace it and navigate it as innovators. That way, AI doesn’t plateau into mindless chatbot usage, but is used for good.