Responsible AI use is the answer

News headlines warn of AI stealing jobs and polluting the planet, but maybe we’re missing the point. The real question isn’t whether generative AI is dangerous — it’s whether we are handling this great opportunity correctly.

According to Challenger, Gray & Christmas, a respected job placement firm, generative AI adoption accounted for over 10,000 job cuts in the first seven months of 2025. AI has been creating jobs, too: the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects job growth in the 2023-2033 decade for AI-related jobs, such as positions in data centers or in certain IT fields.

We’re not facing job elimination; we’re facing job transformation. The actual challenge is how we manage the transition and support affected workers through retraining and education.

There’s also an environmental cost to address. Research from the University of Massachusetts Amherst found that training just one medium-sized generative AI model produces 626,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions. That’s equivalent to the lifetime emissions of five average American cars. ChatGPT searches consume 10 times more electricity than a standard Google search.

There are things we can do to minimize that impact, and we can start by restricting access to generative AI. AI shouldn’t be at everyone’s fingertips for every trivial task. The actual issue is unlimited access to this technology, which encourages wasteful usage.

We can make better choices when using AI by:

• Prioritizing high-impact applications like medical diagnostics, climate research, and educational access for underserved communities.
• Investing in workforce development so that the 10,000 displaced workers can find jobs in growing sectors.
• Determining where AI use is absolutely necessary, because not every internet search needs the most powerful AI model.

Generative AI used correctly and responsibly isn’t our enemy. Thoughtless and unlimited usage is. The way it shapes our society is our choice.

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