Why (Not) AI?
AI can be an incredible tool for research. But it has its downsides! The ethics of AI use in content generation is an ongoing discussion in academia, media, and many other fields.
While this discussion continues, we are doing our best to promote healthy uses of AI as a tool. On this page, you will find some of the concerns and unethical uses you need to consider when deciding whether to use AI.
Is AI Trustworthy?
Algorithms of Oppression: how search engines reinforce racism by Call Number: ZA4230 .N63 2018 or ONLINEISBN: 9781479849949Publication Date: 2018
- "What are AI chatbots actually doing when they ‘hallucinate’? Here’s why experts don’t like the term."Northeastern Global News, Nov 10, 2023
- What are AI Hallucinations?ibm.com, accessed Jan. 31, 2024
- AI Chatbots Can ‘Hallucinate’ and Make Things Up—Why It Happens and How to Spot Itcnbc.com, Dec. 22, 2023
Is AI Ethical?
- "These 183,000 Books are Fueling the Biggest Fight in Publishing and Tech"The Atlantic, Sept 25, 2023
- "AI must serve human potential, not compete against it, Pope says."USCCB, Dec 14, 2023
- "Spirit and the Machine: Catholic Responses to an Increasingly Artificial World"May 12, 2021 (event video, Loyola University Chicago)
Citing AI
- Artificial Intelligence and Academic Integrity: Striking a BalanceGeorgina Chami, Times Higher Education, Oct. 23, 2023
- Academic Integrity and Artificial Intelligence: is ChatGPT Hype, Hero or Heresy?Geoffrey M. Currie PhD, Seminars in Nuclear Medicine, Sept. 2023
- Academic Integrity and AIThe Chronicle of Higher Education, May 16, 2023
- How do I cite generative AI in MLA style?MLA Style Center, accessed Jan. 31, 2024
- How to cite ChatGPT (APA Style.org)Geoffrey M. Currie PhD, APA style.org, Apr. 7, 2023
- Citation, Documentation of SourcesChicago Manual of Style Online, accessed Jan. 31, 2024
The Environmental Impact of Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence takes a massive amount of energy to sustain and requires large amount of fresh water for it's emergency cooling systems, leading many to question whether the environmental impact is worth the technology. The chip manufacturing for AI machines, much like with smart phones and other technologies, also has major consequences on the environment. For a brief overview of the environmental concerns of AI and sustainability efforts, check out the article below.
- The Uneven Distribution of AI’s Environmental ImpactsThe training process for a single AI model, such as an LLM, can consume thousands of megawatt hours of electricity and emit hundreds of tons of carbon. AI model training can also lead to the evaporation of an astonishing amount of freshwater into the atmosphere for data center heat rejection, potentially exacerbating stress on our already limited freshwater resources. These environmental impacts are expected to escalate considerably, and there remains a widening disparity in how different regions and communities are affected. The ability to flexibly deploy and manage AI computing across a network of geographically distributed data centers offers substantial opportunities to tackle AI’s environmental inequality by prioritizing disadvantaged regions and equitably distributing the overall negative environmental impact.