09/17/2026
Burning through enormous amounts of energy and water to generate AI cartoons, fake photos and disposable content sometimes feels like one of the strangest trade-offs of the digital age.
AI can be useful for science, medicine, education and countless other applications.
But when powerful technology is used primarily to create things we don’t even need, it is worth asking:
Are we becoming more efficient or simply finding new ways to consume more?
Progress should not just be measured by what technology can create, but by whether what we create is actually worth the resources it takes.
