We start with a bitten apple. No, this is not a biblical reference. I’m talking about the Apple™ logo. There’s a popular urban myth that states it’s a homage to Alan Turing, also known as the Father of Computer Science.
Alan Turing and his team developed a Bombe, an electromechanical device that cracked the Enigma code used by the Germans for communication. This won the Allies the WW2.
He conceptualized “The Turing Test”. He was one of the first to reframe the question from “Can machines think?” to “Can machines imitate human thinking – can it fool a human?” This still serves as a preliminary test for artificial intelligence (AI) to determine a machine’s capability and exhibit intelligence through conversations.
What is Artificial Intelligence, anyway?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is the capability of computational systems to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and decision-making.
When we think of AI, we usually think about Chat-GPT (developed by OpenAI, San Francisco). You give instructions to the chatbot and it does research for you, it writes your essays, solves mathematical equations, it re-generates your image as Ghibli Art, it listens to your rants when your friends are busy.
We also think about Gemini (developed by Google). It can view the external world through your phone camera and can choose which pair of shoes goes well with your outfit or help you organize your closet.
But, AI starts from simpler things.
It’s your phone trying to predict whose number you are typing to call, or your keyboard trying to complete your sentences. It’s your camera recognising your face to unlock the phone.
AI is Google giving you frequently searched topics and the search engines ranking
articles that would be most useful to you. It’s algorithms employed by streaming platforms to select movies based on your preferences and social media apps that observe and keep track of the content that you like and interact with the most, so it can show you relevant posts. It’s also digital assistants that respond to your verbal commands and complete tasks.
AI refers to any mechanism employed by a machine that mimics human intelligence and maximizes our productivity. Here is a small summary in 3 points:
They learn data. They find patterns. They try to predict the next step.
In the simple examples I have listed, it doesn’t seem bad. It sounds very useful and efficient. Then why is the discourse regarding its usage at an all-time high?
Because software companies have started releasing more and more advanced AI models and chatbots that are posing challenges that haven’t been predicted or studied in depth before. It ranges from the integrity of an artist’s ownership to environmental impact to employment crisis concerns. Ethical concerns steadily rise with time.
The physical centres that host the servers and train these AI models consume a lot of electricity. They use a lot of water to cool down the hardware. There’s a lot of e-waste that contributes to soil pollution and the CO2 emissions grow significantly along with the usage. The carbon footprint of these companies is concerning.
On the brighter side of the sunrise, AI seems to have aided many people with disabilities like blindness, deafness, etc., to live comfortably. Virtual assistants turned out to be assistive technologies that have helped them commute, communicate better, and provide other cognitive support in their daily lives.
But, what I wish to emphasize the most in this article is the wider impact of AI on human behaviour that’s getting swept under the rug.
The use of AI and humans’ reliance are directly proportional.
Our critical thinking and creative skills are at risk. From essays to pictures or videos to art to computer codes to also songs, AI is replacing humans. When our critical thinking skills are attacked, our problem solving, our decision-making, our perception/deductive skills also take a major hit.
Surrendering our control and intellectual “baggage” to a machine is bound to lead us towards a negative trajectory. It makes us more vulnerable to political and social manipulation. Our mission to reduce mental exertion is valid, but without a better creative outlet, where do we spend our saved energy?
To create art? Right?
Ask a room full of artists about their opinion of AI and you will receive eyerolls and a starter to a passionate discourse. Art is an intrinsic quality of being a human. It’s one of the experiences that is centred around the process of creation instead of the end product itself.
Hayao Miyazaki, the co-founder of Studio Ghibli, has a career spanning over 60 years. Every Ghibli movie was centered around human emotions, relationships, and a deeply embedded social message. A carefully curated art that took decades of refinement took over the internet as a “trend” when Chat-GPT started “Ghibli-fying” images. This sparks the debate of fair use and copyright protection laws.
This extends to other fields of visual arts, literature, and music. With AI making effortless art within a span of a few minutes, does the value of art and artists dwindle?
As social media takes over lives and an average adult spends 4.8 hours a day on their phone This number is only getting bigger. Is AI making us more susceptible to becoming thoughtless sheep?
Earth is the most populated than it has ever been and yet there’s a loneliness epidemic. It’s a prevalent problem among the younger population. As people struggle to find connections with fellow human beings, AI Chatbots are certainly an easy way out that leads to a grim destination.
“In August 2025, a man engaged in hours of conversation with ChatGPT that fueled his paranoid delusions by creating an echo chamber. This led to a tragedy where he murdered his mother under the impression that she was a Chinese spy after which he took his own life. The case against OpenAI is still ongoing. Similar incidents reveal that similar AI parasocial relationships affect the mental health of individuals and endanger their safety.”
Studies show that prolonged interactions with AI lead to an empathy decline, reduced real-world interaction, and weakened interpersonal abilities.
It’s easier to talk to a machine. We don’t fear judgment. We are not scared of saying the wrong thing. There’s no social pressure. Instead of trying to put ourselves out there, it’s easier to just pull out our phone and say “Hi!” to a chatbot instead. It’s available 24/7. It listens to everything. It’s the perfect getaway car from socially taxing situations. The perfect crutch to push away awkwardness: the unwanted emotions that are integral to human experience.
Youngsters are turning to AI companions to orchestrate conversations with their loved ones. This raises another peculiar question: to what extent does the human personality start merging with AI? What do the consequences look like?
In August 2025, a man engaged in hours of conversation with ChatGPT that fueled his paranoid delusions by creating an echo chamber. This led to a tragedy where he murdered his mother under the impression that she was a Chinese spy after which he took his own life. The case against OpenAI is still ongoing. Similar incidents reveal that similar AI parasocial relationships affect the mental health of individuals and endanger their safety.
The laws and regulations about AI usage and safety concerns are still in gray areas in many countries. The usage of AI seems to overtake the speed of legislation.
AI is a tool and falling into the wrong hands we get a breach of safety and privacy violations. Generative AI that started off being known for its poor images has drastically improved within the span of a few months. Oftentimes we are left wondering whether the image we see on the internet is real or AI. It’s the darker version of the trend, “Is it cake?”
Deepfakes are softwares that swap faces of someone into images or videos. The result? Fake convincing videos that are spread for misinformation and other malicious intent. The majority of victims of these digital crimes are also women. In the fight against misogyny, AI represents another battle to win.
AI is a tool. Tools need to fall into the right hands. But how do you wield a tool without harnessing its power? How do you wield a tool that’s evolving every minute of the day and could potentially develop objectives of its own without an ethical framework?
The predictory research papers regarding AI in the upcoming years are conflicting. Experts argue about a complete takeover of humankind by AI models that operate based on self-interest and some experts focus on all the advancement in science and technology AI models can generate that might exponentially improve the quality of human life.
The fundamental question is, at what cost does this development arise? What are we losing to gain this lift? And is it worth it? When it comes to AI, do the pros really outweigh the costs? Does saving time, effort, and progressions in the scientific field matter more than the environment, protecting artist communities, preserving human integrity and conditions?
Using AI to solve these issues is metaphorical to cutting down a tree to make paper and writing “Save the Trees” on the same paper. Ironical. Diabolical.
We took a bite from the apple for great knowledge, I hope we aren’t condemned to a greater punishment.
