I use AI at work, but should I?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has slowly, but surely, seeped into our lives over the last few years and is starting to be taken for granted.

Someone’s uncle getting angry while shouting at an eavesdropping kitchen device for not understanding their perfectly understandable command of “Alexa, Play Britney Spears!…Britney Spears!“, would have seemed like a dystopian nightmare only a couple of years ago. Now it is an inextricable part of the modern culinary experience.

From predictive text on emails, to suggesting videos on platforms such as YouTube, to diagnosing cancers. It has made our lives, at home and at work, more automated and, in lots of ways, easier.

How I use AI at work

As a web developer, I have started using AI in the form of Claude.ai in order to improve my working practices, such as improving code and problem solving. The results are positive. While AI might not always get the answer correct, it usually points me in the right direction and also explains the code, which helps with my learning.

So, why is AI bad?

There are various concerns about AI replacing humans, taking over the world, generally being a frightening prospect – which I will leave for someone else to write about!

But from an energy usage point of view, it can be quite a hungry beast. For example, a ChatGPT query can use as much as 10 times the energy of a Google search, which is unquestionably a bad thing, even if that energy did one day come from renewables. But there are also numerous environmental benefits.

Why AI might just save us

To answer this, let’s ask AI. I asked Claude.ai why AI might be bad for humans, and it replied:

• The potential for job displacement as AI automates certain tasks. Some workers may need to adapt and learn new skills as their roles evolve.
• Issues around privacy and data collection, since many AI systems require large amounts of personal data to function effectively.
• Questions about AI decision-making in sensitive areas like healthcare, criminal justice, or financial services, where algorithmic bias could have serious consequences.
• Potential impacts on human interaction and social skills if we become overly reliant on AI-mediated communication.

It then went on to balance that with some of the benefits, which was interesting. When prompted about the environmental concerns, it gave me this:

• Energy consumption from training large AI models – Training a single large language model can consume as much energy as 100 US homes use in a year. Data centres running AI systems require massive amounts of electricity and cooling.
• Electronic waste – AI accelerates the need for specialised hardware and computing devices that often have short lifespans and contain hard-to-recycle materials.
• Water usage – Data centres require significant water for cooling. Some estimates suggest a large data centre can use as much water as a small town.
  However, AI is also being used to help the environment:
• Optimising energy grids and reducing power waste through smart management systems
• Improving climate modelling and weather predictions to better understand climate change
• Enhancing wildlife conservation through automated monitoring and tracking
• Optimising transportation routes to reduce emissions
• Developing new materials for solar panels and batteries
• Making buildings more energy efficient through smart control systems

Again, it backed itself, but that seems fair, as this is quite a nuanced argument. But there certainly seems like there are many ways in which AI could help to undoe some of the environmental issues humans have created.

I also read in Positive News magazine about AI saving endangered tigers to helping farmers with soil analysis, to nutrient management and pest prediction. So AI has the power to enhance biodiversity protection around the world.

My part in this

My plan is to use AI, but only when strictly necessary. I will use it minimally to help me to become more efficient, and to learn new things that help me at work. But I will also try not to use it unnecessarily.

Anyway, time for some Britney “Alexaaaa…“