Understanding AI: How AI affects us today

Let me share an interesting TED talk from Sasha Luccioni about how artificial intelligence (AI) affects us and our planet today. We shouldn’t wait until AI takes over us, like in the movie Terminator, but focus on the issues it causes today.

What I Learned & What We Can Do

AI’s Big Footprint

AI isn’t just about cool robots or smart computers; it’s actually causing some problems right now. From harming the environment to using people’s art without asking, AI has some issues that need fixing.

Caring for Our Planet:

• AI uses a ton of energy, like as much as 30 houses use in a year! We should think about how to make AI more eco-friendly.
• What to do
  • Support AI projects that are open about how they affect the environment.

Protecting Artists and Writers:

• Sometimes, AI learns from books, art, and music without getting permission.
• What to do:
  • Use tools like “Have I Been Trained?” to see if your work has been used by AI without you knowing. Help support ways for artists to say yes or no to their work being used by AI.

Making AI Fair for Everyone:

• AI can accidentally copy unfairness from the real world, like treating people differently because of their skin color or gender.
• What to do:
  • Learn about AI biases with tools like the Stable Bias Explorer and support AI that includes everyone fairly.

Why Sharing This Matters

Talking about this helps us all understand that AI isn’t perfect and we need to keep an eye on how it’s used. Here’s why spreading the word is good:

• More Knowledge: Knowing about AI’s real problems helps us think beyond scary future stories to what’s happening now.
• Tools Help Us: Sharing tools that show AI’s impact gives everyone the power to make better choices and stand up for what’s right.
• Supporting Better AI: When we talk about these problems, we can encourage companies and lawmakers to make AI in a way that’s good for people and the planet.
• Deciding Our Future Together: By understanding AI’s effects, we can work together to guide where technology goes, making sure it’s good for everyone.

In short, the talk made it clear that we shouldn’t wait to solve the problems AI is causing today. By paying attention and taking action now, we can guide AI to be better for our world.

Written in Difree, a distraction free writer | Graphics thanks to #dalle