AI Veganism: What does it mean and why is it gaining attention?

Change is a constant, but accepting it relies on an individual's whim. From professional to personal, life keeps evolving every minute, with new arrivals and old departures, but it always depends on a person how they deal with it. In this context, when it comes to AI, people have not been elated with the new entrant as one would expect.While tech-enthusiasts and those interested in the global future have been working day and night to develop a new tangent of technology and world through AI, as it never existed before, there are some who prefer the old ways better. These not only include people worried about their jobs and professions but also those who are resisting the AI for environmental, ethical and personal reasons.While those depending on the development of AI to make the big bucks portray it as the next big step the world will have to take, studies suggest otherwise. A recent study suggested that overreliance on ChatGPT could harm critical thinking abilities.Another study published in Nature.com stated that 68.9% of laziness in humans, 68.6% in personal privacy and security issues and 27.7% loss of decision-making was due to the impact of artificial intelligence in Pakistani and Chinese society.Thus, among a huge population, there is a hesitance or reliance on adopting AI, just like people resist eating products derived from animals. People don't trust algorithms to guide them the way humans can.There are three main reasons why people are following AI veganism. These include:Ethical concerns- Studies have found that when users are aware that content creators did not agree to allow the use of their content to train AI, they are more likely to avoid it. These concerns were also raised at the Writers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists strikes in 2023, where two unions argued for legal protection against companies using creative works to train AI without any consent or compensation.Environmental concerns- Another pillar of AI veganism is the environmental concerns raised by AI's increasing demand for electricity and water. A preliminary study revealed that the more users were aware of AI's power demands, the more their use of these systems was affected.Human capabilities- As mentioned above, people have been suspicious of AI use due to its health effects. A Microsoft Research study stated that people who were more confident in using generative AI had lower critical thinking. Additionally, a Cambridge University survey found that some students avoided using AI due to the concern that doing so would make them lazy.It seems the idea of AI veganism is a dawn in a world being darkened by AI. However, how long it will last will be up to its followers.