AI - the new source of cognitive dissonance
I’m experiencing cognitive dissonance, and it’s giving me the ick.
There are two statements I know to be true.
Generative AI has a profoundly negative impact on the environment.
The Gen AI genie is out of the bottle, and it cannot be smushed back in again.
I work in digital. And even if I didn’t, I would be using digital in my work in some way. I know that we aren’t going to turn back time and rewind the growing use of AI. But I also know that I feel guilty when I use it, and imagine the rainforests, the drying lakes, the declining biodiversity.
So how the hell do I sleep at night with this wracking guilt? What about the penguins?
Like any person with cognitive dissonance, there are a few key steps to a lighter conscience.
Recognise the conflicting beliefs that are causing discomfort. See above.
Attempt to alleviate my discomfort with various methods:
I change my behaviour - I only use AI when it really counts. I use it less, and hope I use it responsibly. Someone give me a gold star.
I add new cognitions - justify my behaviour by telling myself that I can’t hold back the tide, and it would negatively impact my career if I just refused to use gen AI
I minimise the importance of the conflict - I can sleep at night if I tell myself it’s just not a big deal. I’m just one person. All new tech brings environmental consequences. Surely people had this same conversation in the 90s when the internet scaled up??? It’s not a big deal.
Some of these points may be a little tenuous, but short of quitting my chosen career path and becoming a luddite, I will have to find some peace within this conflict.
My current tactic-
Focus on what I can change - my behaviour, and not just how I use gen AI, it but when.
You know what, it might be better to start with when NOT to use Gen AI. A guide for all -
When you can google something. If it’s not a custom, nuanced question, but just a regular ol’ search? Google it. no one needs Gen AI for that.
When you already know the answer and you’re just dithering. Make the decision yourself, and embrace the consequences. You are the adult. All AI will do is mirror what you’re asking. Be brave, be bold, and don’t outsource human decision making. You don’t need an AI to validate gut instinct and years of experience. That’s what System 2 is for.
When you’re using it for connection. Yes, the voices are comforting, and yes it is more thoughtful and empathetic than actual humans I’ve worked with. But if you find yourself falling into a therapy session then stop and call a friend.
When do I embrace using AI?
When it’s actually saving me time. It’s not saving me time to write an email when writing the prompt takes just as long. It is saving me time when it reads complex and lengthy documents and distills key themes or patterns for me. I might then select elements to dig into myself, but the initial analysis is genuinely saving hours.
To prompt and coach me to do better. A well written GPT model can be the mirror we need to elicit and challenge us to think bigger and better. I’ve used a GPT to help build a few case studies for this website, and rather than the GPT model doing the writing, it’s prompted me to think deeper about my work, have better ideas about what to communicate, and to snowball my thoughts in ways I might not have done on my own.
To take away ‘blank paper fear’. I struggle starting from zero, lots of people do. But asking a Gen AI to give me an outline or a few topics is enough to get the creative juices flowing and give me the boost I need to tap into my own ideas.
Where does this leave us? With the uncomfortable truth that the evolutions in technology don’t seem compatible with a happy planet. But an acceptance that we are not King Canute, and we know we can’t hold back the tide. We can be choiceful in how and when we use these technologies.
