Recently, a tremendous shift in the use of technology has taken place. When ChatGPT was first introduced, people treated it as an interesting novelty that you could use to create entertaining content. However, as generative AI became increasingly advanced, people started using it for a broader spectrum of uses. (Liang et al., 2025) In this moment in time, an overwhelming number of people use generative AI daily. (Beshay & Beshay, 2025) While generative AI is technologically very exciting, I think we should all proceed with great caution and be more aware when we use it.
The first reason for this is the massive burden that generative AI imposes on the environment. The enormous number of resources it takes to maintain the status quo is immense. (Zhuk, 2023) In an era where we are already being challenged with environmental issues on many fronts, minimizing the impact of generative AI on the environment should prove to be significant, and compared to other environmental issues, an easy win. (Berthelot, Caron, Jay, & Lefèvre, 2024)
Not only are we suffering from the effects of generative AI on a global scale, but also in our personal lives. I think there would be great benefits in limiting our usage of generative AI. By using generative AI as a personal companion, we can lose touch with reality. (Fang et al., 2025) Generative AI tends to react in a way that validates whatever we say. (Sharma, Liao, & Xiao, 2024) So, if we are faced with different opinions in real life, a feeling of detachment can arise. (Idem.) In addition, there are more implications on a personal level, such as a negative impact on attention (Zhai et al., 2024).
While generative AI is a tool that can be very effective in a work environment, I think we should refrain from using it excessively. It is still a very novel technique, so long-term effects have not been studied yet. However, it is a fact that it impacts the environment negatively. I think it is also safe to say that not relying on generative AI too much will positively impact our brain health.
References:
Beshay, & Beshay. (2025, April 3). 1. Artificial intelligence in daily life: Views and experiences. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2025/04/03/artificial-intelligence-in-daily-life-views-and-experiences/
Berthelot, A., Caron, E., Jay, M., & Lefèvre, L. (2024). Estimating the environmental impact of Generative-AI services using an LCA-based methodology. Procedia CIRP, 122, 707–712. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procir.2024.01.098
Fang, C. M., Liu, A. R., Danry, V., Lee, E., Chan, S. W. T., Pataranutaporn, P., Maes, P., Phang, J., Lampe, M., Ahmad, L., & Agarwal, S. (2025, March 21). How AI and human behaviors shape psychosocial effects of chatbot use: a longitudinal randomized controlled study. arXiv.org. https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.17473
Liang, W., Zhang, Y., Codreanu, M., Wang, J., Cao, H., & Zou, J. (2025, February 13). The widespread adoption of large language Model-Assisted writing across society. arXiv.org. https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.09747
Sharma, N., Liao, Q. V., & Xiao, Z. (2024). Generative Echo Chamber? Effect of LLM-Powered Search Systems on Diverse Information Seeking. Roceedings of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI ’24), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1145/3613904.3642459
Zhai, C., Wibowo, S., & Li, L. D. (2024). The effects of over-reliance on AI dialogue systems on students’ cognitive abilities: a systematic review. Smart Learning Environments, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-024-00316-7
Zhuk, A. (2023). Artificial intelligence impact on the environment: Hidden ecological costs and Ethical-Legal Issues. Journal of Digital Technologies and Law, 1(4), 932–954. https://doi.org/10.21202/jdtl.2023.40
