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Artificial Intelligence – the very name should give us pause. Not to mention AI has lots of issues related to everything from intellectual property to job losses to our own intellect and emotions being removed from the equation. And there are also big eco- and relational impacts. Here is a summary of some of these implications from an MIT study and other sources:

-  By 2028, AI could be requiring as much energy as is used by 22% of US households.

-  Over half of this energy is produced by coal and gas, as AI cannot afford interruptions

in its power supply - as in Ohio, at right. And fossil fuels = climate change gases.

OpenAI’s Stargate data center in Texas will emit 3.7 million tons of CO2 per year – as much

as Iceland. A center in CA, with its strong environmental rules, will emit much less pollution

than one in West Virginia, where coal is king.

-   There is also a huge draw on fresh water to cool the data centers’ equipment – some

facilities use millions of gallons per day.

-   Of course we are part of the problem. The study revealed that making a five second AI

video at 16 frames per second takes as much energy as running a microwave for an hour.

-  Along with eco-effects are the emotional and relational impacts: three-quarters of US teenagers have turned to AI for friendship at some point; in a decade, over half of us will be going there for advice, care, companionship. And AI algorithms magnify existing prejudices, further dividing our divided society.

-  What about jobs - or lack thereof: A McKinsey report projects that by 2030, 30% of current U.S. jobs could be automated, with 60% significantly altered by AI tools. Goldman Sachs predicts up that to 50% of jobs could be fully automated by 2045, driven by generative AI and robotics.

-  AI in warfare raises critical ethical dilemmas, primarily regarding accountability, the loss of human judgment in "kill decisions," and the risk of algorithmic bias violating international humanitarian law. While AI could theoretically increase precision, it risks accelerating conflict, devaluing human life, and creating accountability gaps where no human is responsible for

lethal errors. Read David Grossman's On Killing: The psychological cost of learning to

kill in war and society for good reasons to keep the "human element" in warfare, as it

makes us face - and perhaps have remorse about killing - the enemy. 

Pope Leo on AI and war in his Encyclical: “For this reason, the development and use of

AI in warfare must be subject to the most rigorous ethical constraints, to guarantee respect

for human dignity and the sanctity of life and to avoid a race to develop such arms,” he wrote.

Leo urged the “disarming” of AI, while stating that some autonomous weapons systems are “practically beyond any human reach” to control.

   “Disarming AI means freeing it from the mentality of ‘armed’ competition,” he wrote.

“To disarm does not mean rejecting technology, but preventing it from dominating humanity,” adding that the technology should be “human-friendly”, accessible to all and opened to discussion and debate.

-  And AI is just plain intrusive: “Conversational AI models are being practically

shoved down our throats and it's getting harder and harder to opt out,” notes

Dr. Sasha Lucciani, an AI analyst.

-   This TED Radio Hour presentation features Tom Gruber, who not only invented Siri,

but is now leading efforts to make AI's guiding principle to serve humans, rather than

the other way around. He concludes with a comparison to the role of the matriarch in

an elephant family - listen and learn what he means.

What to do?

-  Don’t use AI for simple searches and tasks – other search engines can do the same

thing with lots less energy. If you use an AI program, a smaller Language Model such

as SmolLM is better – up to 150 times less energy per search!

-  If a data center is being built in your area, educate yourself and your community

about the impacts – then join or organize protests and petition campaigns.

-  Seek the real: real conversations and real experiences, especially across lines

that divide us by age, gender, geography, culture, vocation, and race; real encounters

of nature done together – especially with children and youth, as these are an antidote

to screen dependence, since nothing engages like nature.

-  Summary: connecting to the realness of nature,

others and one’s own wisdom (thinking for

yourself) not only sidelines AI but leads to a

healthier and longer – as much as 7.5 years – life!