Plastic AI

I’ve been thinking about writing this article for a while. The idea that “AI is a bit like plastic” came to me during one of those dinner parties where the inevitable topic of the month comes into the conversation. Before that it was probably the Ukraine-Russian War, before that COVID-19, you can keep tracking way back to BREXIT, 911, even Monica Lewinsky for those old enough…

Why do I align Plastic to AI? Well to start with, plastic is artificial. It’s something more to do with the lack of consultation with the public, the lack of consideration with potential dangers, and the ubiquitous nature of these worldwide phenomena. Both are literally everywhere!

I remember the term ‘plastic fantastic’ was once confidently waved about, now we have frequent headlines about problems with waste plastics. Scientists are studying the dangers of micro-plastics and toxicity on the human body, we see choked rivers in Africa, reports of environmental seepage, wildlife getting strangled and more… Don’t get me wrong, there are few materials superior for holding a pair of dirty rugby boots than a plastic bag. Plastic can be fantastic (if used responsibly). I could list a thousand positive uses for plastic; I could even ask Perplexity to list them in reverse alphabetical order. Don’t blame the plastic water gun, blame the shooter – as they say. But it’s obvious we have two sides of a story to understand.

And AI follows similar traits. The dinner party conversation confirms that. People love the speed of ChatGPT, others relish to employ Claude agents (and not real people), and hands up – I’m also guilty of using AI to make an image wider or taller for a better advert layout. Fast, quick, impressive. The other side of the dinner party is concerned with the more sinister side of AI. Like the impact on the job market, outsourcing of daily tasks that previously built resilience in both individuals and society, and the removal of critical thought from our daily life.

My biggest concern is how the traditional process that AI conveniently side-steps is where we find the most valuable learnings. The process is when we stumble across something original, this is where creative freedom lives and thrives. Problem solving, coupled with making a few mistakes on the way is how we grow as humans.

Let us not forget the connection that AI has with football-field-sized data centres and their excessive water and energy usage – hardly any notable green credentials on display. Lithium anyone?

There’s nothing natural here folks! Move along, nothing to see.

So, to conclude, these two seemingly unrelated technologies have been thrown at humanity with little public discussion, no real foresight into the dangers – and the genie is truly out of the bottle. Both plastic and AI are here to stay, we all know this. Just don’t fall for something shiny and new if it’s only going to suffocate your children later.

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