Cost of AI

Pakistan is currently facing a dilemma between innovation and risks as citizens willingly and readily lean towards a positive outlook on Artificial Intelligence (AI). A survey published by the Toronto-based Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society ranks Pakistan among the top five users of AI tools and applications amongst 21 countries, trailing behind India, Kenya and Brazil.

In a world riddled with rapidly progressing technology, the enthusiasm to embrace AI can be both advantageous and detrimental. Unbeknownst to many, the risks of AI remain poorly understood, and this unawareness could quickly tip the balance towards detriment in Pakistan.

Despite being a fairly recent technology of mass usage, AI's share of global electricity usage could reach 4% by next year. It primarily derives its electricity from fossil fuels — which are by far the largest contributors to global climate change — to power giant data centres that generate significant amounts of heat. This heat further increases energy consumption while also contributing towards environmental damages.

These are merely the environmental concerns. AI's impact on cognitive reasoning and critical thinking skills remains an entirely different challenge. Reliance on a machine for both minor and complex problems decays the human impulse to wrestle with ideas, to learn through trial and error and to exercise the brain. In a country like Pakistan where education systems already grapple with rote learning and limited resources, the overuse of AI could deepen intellectual passivity.

AI presents a promise and a threat. While it expands opportunities and provides convenience, it also has the power to irreversibly damage the environment, displace skilled workers and replace an ultimate signifier of humanity — the ability to think and reason. Without policies in place that mitigate the risks involved, the very enthusiasm that drives AI's adoption may leave the population disadvantaged.