Reply To: [unofficial weekender] Springtime 2026

[sundancer 44513xp 3]

Your example does something you could do without AI. It would need you to learn Photoshop, GIMP or any similar software and basically copy the tree from picture 1 to a backdrop picture and you’re done.

Changing you into a different being is something different. It’s way more complex and needs a degree of artistic skill. And here is where AI gets problematic: machines of today can’t create. They only copy-pasta from human works. And these human works have, in almost all cases, been grabbed without consent, consultation or any form of payment. It’s stealing from other humans.

But that is “just” the moral aspect of AI. The enormous amounts of resources that are burned for “that one funny picture” is mind boggling. Especial if you consider that “the first created picture” rarely is the one people put out there.

Please take a look at this article (or any similar article you may come across)

Unpacking the Energy Footprint: How Much Energy Does AI Use to Generate an Image?

One image accounts roughly for watching a 2 hours HD video or running your washing machine 1 time. Or charging your phone 30+ times.

So you usage of AI (especially if you pay for the tokens it uses) supports burning energy and intellectual theft. Is that wrong?

Hell, yes it is.

Now, to take step back: the pure tech of LLM/AI as a theoretical construct is (like many other things) not bad. It’s just used in ways that is. Let’s say a LLM is trained on every bit of information of one specific disease. It might come up with a cure. Or early diagnosis. But when you train it on the complete medical history of every person ever it will “know” things it shouldn’t. Caught an STD because you where unfaithful? LLM knows.

It’s not the tech that is bad or wrong. It’s how it is currently used, marketed and sold to the people. It’s how morally wrong the companies worked to get AI to a level where it today. By stealing other peoples work like it’s nobodies busyness.

Different example: Newspapers. Newspapers are not bad or evil. They inform you. They share news. Unless the company behind it uses it in a malicious way to spread lies, hate and fear. The newspaper doesn’t care. It’s just paper with ink on it.

Is using AI wrong? As a broad moral theoretical question: no. But the reality is different. Because a small group of people us it to get richer than god. Because it’s used like a gallon of gasolene to get a BBQ starte.

So, back to the OG question: is the use of AI in 2026 wrong? In my opinion YES.