We MUST Stop AI! Here's Why and How.

Let’s face it, AI does more harm than good. This is a manifesto for the wholesale rejection of all so-called “Artificial Intelligence”.

What am I referring to by “AI”?

I am referring to an umbrella of various technologies which all brand themselves as “Artificial Intelligence” (there are a lot of problems with the term itself, but for clarity, I will be using it). This encompasses image generation, video generation, text generation as well as other types of software which take inputs and use “machine learning”.

The Pollution of the Net.

Search Engines have become unusable, with so many ‘blogs’ being made up entirely of AI slop articles. Same goes for social media, being filled with AI slop text, images and videos. Even some news publications such as The New York Times state in their principles that “Generative A.I. can assist our journalists in uncovering the truth and helping more people understand the world.” which is utterly ludicrous given that these tools have no way to discern truth and have been used in disinformation campaigns such as by the Russian government and by the Donald Trump presidential campaign. AI is a pollutant on the net and will make getting things done and finding information harder and harder, as it already has done.

The Pollution of the Planet.

Even more importantly, AI data centers are killing our planet, with high electricity and water consumption, depriving people and animals of water, which from what I’ve heard is necessary to live. However, it’s important to acknowledge that this will not solve climate change on its own. However, freeing up more energy and water for genuinely helpful use-cases is beneficial, as it means less power plants need to be built and made active, thus decreasing carbon emissions.

The Only Winning Move is Not to Play.

But most importantly, what do we do about this? Well, the solutions on an individual level are thankfully quite simple. Here’s a list:

1. Stop using any products which market themselves as AI. This should ideally be the first step. This also includes content which uses AI tools in its creation. We need to make some noise and actively shame the practice of using AI because it is harmful not to do so.
2. If you are a creator, create something yourself!
3. If not, pay someone who is! Many artists have open commissions and would be happy to make the piece you need for your project or personal enjoyment.
4. If you can’t afford that, pick up a pencil learn to create things! Ultimately, the world is a better place with more creators instead of mere consumers.
5. Demand rejection of AI in group projects you are involved in! For example, I advocated against allowing AI-generated articles when I worked at The Student Insurgent. While this was ultimately a failure, I was able to stand up for what I believed in, and in future endeavors I will do the same.

I am not advocating for any government policy changes! As an anarchist, it would be against my values to demand an assertion of my desires, even ones which I feel strongly about like the destruction of all AI. Instead, we need to take actions such as the above, which directly affect AI’s impact on our lives.

With these steps, as well as other ideas from the many people of the world (NOT AI!) we can defeat the AI menace and bring about a world where creative work is creative, and created by living beings with emotional intent.