**The Hidden Harms of Artificial General Intelligence: A Call for Awareness and Action**
*“The people who shut their eyes to reality simply invite their own destruction; anyone who insists on remaining in a state of innocence long after that innocence is dead turns himself into a monster.”*
— James Baldwin
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The sudden rise of artificial general intelligence (AGI), particularly in the form of large language models (LLMs), has sparked widespread debate about the potential benefits and harms these technologies may bring. While many focus on their usefulness, I argue that the possible harms are not yet fully understood—especially by the general public.
We are already witnessing an increasing number of AI-related disasters, notably affecting human intellect and self-expression. A research paper from Cornell University titled *Your Brain on ChatGPT* warns that unregulated use of these tools could stunt the development of human intelligence. In particular, it may diminish critical thinking skills on a mass scale.
Large corporations and political elites stand to gain significantly from an uninformed populace that accepts simplified narratives designed to advance their agendas. The easiest way to achieve this indoctrination is through biased programming of chatbots, subtly shaping opinions and suppressing dissent.
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### The Hidden Costs of AI
The price we pay for these conveniences extends far beyond cognitive impairment. It includes severe environmental risks, democratic erosion, and exploitation of public resources.
Karen Hao, American journalist and author of *Empire of AI*, explores these issues in her deeply researched work. She highlights how some companies’ unchecked use of natural resources for generative AI development is depleting freshwater and arable land. These companies, she argues, behave like techno-authoritarians, disregarding democratic principles by failing to consult affected communities about the environmental damage caused by their data centers.
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) estimates that a single data center can consume up to five million gallons of water per day—equivalent to the daily water usage of a town with 10,000 to 50,000 residents. An Indiana-based non-profit, the Citizen Action Coalition, reveals that AI corporations often use shell companies or secret project code names to conceal their plans for new data centers until after local approvals are secured.
The Hoosier Environmental Council describes generative AI data centers as “hyperscale” facilities that demand vast amounts of water and energy, and these data centers are rapidly expanding. This growth forewarns further exploitation of public resources and labor, along with a likely exponential increase in carbon emissions.
Sourabh Mehta’s article *How Much Energy Do LLMs Consume? Unveiling the Power Behind AI* for the Association of Data Scientists delves deeper into the enormous energy footprint of these models.
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### Misconceptions and Corporate Narratives
In an interview with Harvard Business School’s Institute for Business in Global Society, Vercept co-founder Oren Etzioni addressed some myths surrounding AI. He suggested that fears of AI’s harm stem mainly from misinformation, not tangible threats, and advised people to learn to use AI more efficiently to avoid being left behind.
However, such optimistic assertions fall short when CEOs who profit from this technology portray it simply as a productivity booster. Etzioni’s claim that people confuse fiction with reality—treating AI as if it is on a path to sentience—is fundamentally flawed.
Chatbots today are not under fire because they resemble Harlan Ellison’s 1967 antagonist AM, a sentient AI bent on human suffering. Rather, criticism arises from their proven intellectual unreliability and their detrimental effects on users’ cognitive abilities, income equality, privacy, and data ownership.
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### The Way Forward: Resistance and Collective Action
So, how do we keep pace with this rapidly evolving landscape while safeguarding our autonomy?
**First, individual resistance.** This means consciously choosing to exercise your own intellect and reasoning, rather than relying on chatbots to do the heavy lifting. Resist the dopamine-driven distractions of mind-numbing social media. Instead, invest time in reading the classics—works by Homer, Goethe, Lermontov, Thucydides, Milton, Stendhal, Cellini, and others—to strengthen focus, cognition, and literacy.
Let’s be clear: chatbots are merely predictive algorithms. Their “intelligence” depends entirely on the data they consume. They do not possess original thought—a faculty uniquely human. Even generative AI models, as explained by the International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), generate content by training on massive datasets. IBM itself is focused on integrating AI into modern business platforms, not creating sentient machines.
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**Second, collective action.** Self-preservation on a larger scale is more challenging, requiring resolve and resilience. But collective efforts empower the public to influence how AI technologies are adopted, and to what extent they operate.
Through collective action, we can demand protections for civil liberties and human rights, both intellectual and labor-related. As AI becomes more integrated into society, we must advocate for universal rights and safety measures in an AI-operated world.
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### Conclusion
We stand at the cusp of a new era. It is imperative that we confront the realities of artificial intelligence honestly and actively engage in shaping its future. By balancing personal responsibility with collective advocacy, we can harness the benefits of AI while minimizing its risks—ensuring that technology serves humanity, not the other way around.
https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/1348325-the-ai-threat
