After going through the readings and the BBC video, the biggest thing that stuck with me is how AI is impacting way more than I expected. The Medium article talked about the “social contract” breaking because technology is advancing faster than our ability to manage it. I did not realize how strongly the author felt that AI could actually widen inequality if no one steps in to guide its growth.
The BBC video ended up being the part that hit me personally. I had no idea AI used that much water just to cool the systems that run these models. It made me pay attention to my own AI usage, because I rely on it every day and never connected that convenience to real environmental costs. It definitely made me want to be more intentional.
The Axios article made the workforce side feel real. It is interesting how jobs that used to feel more protected, like white-collar roles, are now some of the most at risk. The article explained how companies are already restructuring quietly, and a lot of mid-level tasks are being replaced by AI. Axios felt the most grounded to me because it used real examples and actual data.
When I used AI to compare the Medium and Axios pieces, I saw that they both agree that change is happening fast, but they focus on different angles. Axios felt more persuasive because it connected everything to what is already happening instead of just warning about the future.
For the AI experiment, the prompts that helped me most were the ones where I asked it to compare both authors and explain whose argument was stronger. The responses were clear and actually helped me see the connections between the articles that I missed on my own. It also reminded me that AI really depends on the quality of the question. If the prompt is vague, the answer will be too.
Overall, this week made me reflect on how much I use AI and how complicated its impact really is. I feel comfortable using it, but now I am also thinking about the environmental side and the way it affects jobs we assume are safe. AI is not going anywhere, so the challenge is figuring out how to use it responsibly, especially in social work.
Hope everyone finishes off the semester strong 🙂
Yeah, I think that this module made me start thinking about how complicated the impact of AI is. I knew it was, but something clicked after these articles and videos. The environmental impact was mind blowing and I find it hard to believe that we aren’t seeing more of a conversation. I think that more people probably don’t fully understand the implications of using it.
Hey Nia! Great post!!
I will admit that this week has also caused me to understand how often I myself use AI and how far they have evolved in society. I was quite suprised when i provided the AI software with the prompts as they appeared almost self aware
Nia,
I think the environmental aspect has a significant impact when people learn that who did not know it before. I think there is more to learn about the prompt issue and next time I assign this task I will be more specific about prompts. The point is that AI can either just give you some kind of answer – or it can help you to think about the question more fully. That is the way we should be teaching you to use AI. I would have liked to hear more about your prompts. Otherwise, great job.
Dr P