Op-Ed: Chat, is Generative AI Bad for Me?

This op-ed appeared in the summer 2026 issue of the Virginia Sierran. Mai spent this past summer as a policy intern with the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter. 

 

Great question! AI has been scientifically proven to be good for productivity and problem-solving in professional and personal lives. 🙂

Well, that’s probably what a generative AI platform would say. And just as I’m skeptical of generative AI as a concept, I’m extremely wary of generative AI’s prevalence in our society. Classrooms, corporations, nonprofits, and government spaces are being encouraged every day to incorporate some form of generative AI. People use chatbots as a search engine or even to mimic human interactions. As if the world wasn’t in a bad enough state already, we’re now giving up what makes us human: critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, and creativity.

As a college student, the presence of generative AI in the classroom is a constant topic of conversation. Professors have to set clear standards in their syllabi and meticulously check that students’ work is original. Similarly, students worry about false accusations of using generative AI on completely original work and suffering academic sanctions without any wrongdoing. At younger ages, generative AI stunts critical thinking  through a phenomenon called “cognitive offloading.” This is logically harmful to all ages, but for children who should be developing critical thinking skills, cognitive offloading will likely have long-term effects we cannot fathom.

Generative AI concerns are also felt in the media we consume. Stories, images, and videos circulate on the internet but are entirely fabricated. This can cause significant damage to individuals or organizations, like when Twitter’s (now called X) AI generated inappropriate content based on women's and girls’ photos. Almost everyone on social media has likely been fooled by an animal jumping on a trampoline or a similar AI-generated post. Similarly, creative/artistic spaces are struggling to compete with AI-generated images and songs. Art in any form is a difficult environment in which to earn a living wage, for dozens of reasons not strictly relevant here. But when anyone can create a song, video, or image for “free,” artists’ creative contributions to society are limited. Additionally, AI can set unrealistic standards even as inspiration because it lacks artistic flair and doesn’t always align with reality.

AI chatbots are programmed to affirm prompts, which can cause significant psychological damage. Studies have found an increase in depressive symptoms across various age groups.^[1] There are multiple instances of individuals creating parasocial relationships with “their” generative AI chatbot, which have been linked to acts of violence against both the individual and others around them.

All of the code, data, text, images, etc., generated by AI are stored in data centers, and more content is created every day. A Pew survey found that about 50% of U.S. adults have used a chatbot, and about 24% of respondents use them daily.^[2]

There are many other concerns about AI I haven’t even mentioned, such as data protection, job search/hiring processes, national security risks, and so much more. So, to quote John Oliver, what can we do? We can avoid using generative AI as much as possible. In some cases, like a job requirement, it might be difficult to abstain entirely. However, for personal use, there is likely a better alternative.

We can also learn about generative AI’s effects and, where appropriate, explain our concerns to others in the community. This includes family, friends, and lawmakers, who should take steps to regulate AI and its impacts. Sharing the truth about data centers can help everyone understand the risks of using generative AI.

As products we already use begin incorporating generative AI, such as social media and popular search engines, we can use settings or alternative platforms to protect ourselves and our data. Some platforms often default users to “opt-in” to updates that include generative AI. Sometimes, it isn’t possible to opt out at all, such as when Meta uses posts shared on its platforms to train its AI. However, we should opt out of generative AI’s influence on these platforms whenever possible. One example is Pinterest, which has a setting to remove AI-generated content from your feed.^[3]

Generative AI is likely not going anywhere. But until its use is sustainable, properly regulated, and more accurate, I would rather ask the group chat than an AI chat.

 

^[1] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12824790/

^[2] https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2026/06/17/americans-and-ai-2026-chatbots-smart-devices-and-views-on-impactencouraged

^[3] https://help.pinterest.com/en/article/manage-genai-settings