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Artificial Intelligence is everywhere: tools like ChatGPT are being integrated into our daily routines to help with essay writing, summarising complex articles, generating images or just looking up information. Whilst AI can be a fantastic tool to aid research, many people do not realise that its usage comes with costs, both to our own critical thinking skills but also detrimental environmental impacts.
Every interaction with AI relies on massive data centres running 24/7, which consume enormous amounts of electricity and water to stay cool. Even something as simple as one search on ChatGPT uses enough water to fill a small bottle. Multiply that by millions of daily users worldwide, and the water and energy footprint becomes staggering. The climate impact of powering these systems is significant, contributing to carbon emissions and straining resources, especially in regions already facing water scarcity. It’s easy to forget these costs because AI feels instantaneous and limitless, but the environmental consequences are very real. Being mindful of how and when we use AI can make a difference. Simple steps, like closing unused AI applications or limiting requests to what is truly necessary, can help reduce unnecessary energy and water consumption.
Beyond the environmental impact, there’s another caution for students: overreliance on AI can dull your critical thinking. AI is excellent for generating ideas, suggesting directions, or summarizing information, but it cannot replace your own reasoning. Accepting AI outputs without reflection risks weakening the analytical skills you develop through study and research. The real benefit of AI comes when it is used as a tool to support your thinking—not as a substitute for it. So for us, as students, the challenge is clear- using AI thoughtfully and sparingly, we can enjoy its benefits without letting it take over our own critical thinking or contribute unnecessarily to environmental strain.
By being mindful and aware of our AI usage, we can integrate it into our lives in a healthy and sustainable way to aid our research whilst limiting the damage caused.