By Fiza Arshad*
AI tools like ChatGPT have transformed how we brainstorm, solve problems, and write. They offer efficiency, better quality product, and sometimes, even inspiration, while saving us time that could be spent elsewhere. Gardening, spending time with kids, spitting out more articles.
But as with any powerful tool, there’s a growing need to use it mindfully. Just because we can ask an AI to do something doesn’t always mean we should.
This post is about pausing (for both you and I). About asking better questions. About using AI in a way that’s not just smart, but ethical and sustainable. Whether you’re a student, a creator, a business owner, or just curious, here are some ways to make your AI use more intentional and responsible.
1. Use With Purpose
It’s easy to fall down the rabbit hole of endless prompting: tweaking, rephrasing, regenerating (I’ve been there too!). But AI usage has a high digital cost – something that I did not know until recently. Each interaction with a model like ChatGPT requires energy from massive servers. Every chat leaves a carbon footprint—the massive servers, for example, require a lot of water for cooling.
Try this: Before you type, pause. What are you trying to actually get out of this conversation? Can you phrase your prompt clearly? Is this a task that needs AI support, or is it something you could do with a bit of focused effort and time?
Being purposeful with your queries isn’t just efficient—it’s sustainable. For the environment and for you.
2. Respect Intellectual Property
ChatGPT can help you write faster, but it shouldn’t become a shortcut for copying. If you’re using it to summarize, translate, or help you generate ideas, great. But don’t ask it to plagiarize or replicate someone else’s work.
Give credit where credit is due. And when in doubt, use AI as a collaborator, not a ghostwriter.
3. Be Transparent About AI Assistance
Did ChatGPT help you draft that blog post, presentation, or article? If you’re sharing it professionally or publicly, consider disclosing your use of AI.
No need for an essay—something simple like, “Drafted with support from ChatGPT” or “Edited using AI tools” adds transparency and builds trust. In academic settings, check your institution’s guidelines: many now require disclosures for AI-assisted work.
4. Consider the Environmental Cost
AI feels invisible, but it runs on physical infrastructure—data centers, cooling systems, electricity. While the carbon footprint of a single prompt is small, it scales quickly across millions of users. Yikes!
To minimize your impact:
- Don’t keep regenerating results for fun.
- Avoid overloading AI with massive inputs that could be trimmed.
- Use lower-energy tools (like offline spellcheckers) for basic tasks, such as proofreading. Other tools, such as Paperpal and Grammarly, do the same for you.
Efficiency is green. And, so is the future of our kids. Leaving an environment devoid of resources for the coming generation is irresponsible.
5. Protect Privacy
Never share private information in a ChatGPT window. That includes names, emails, medical or financial info, and any identifying details about other people.
Even anonymized data can sometimes be reverse-engineered. When working with sensitive content, use placeholders or aliases (e.g., “[ClientName]”) and remove all identifying details.
Your privacy and those you work with is your responsibility.
6. Watch for Bias and Inclusion
AI is trained on massive datasets scraped from the internet—the good, the bad, and the biased. That means it can sometimes generate outputs that reinforce stereotypes or reflect problematic assumptions. Haven’t we seen enough videos of who is on the right side of history on Israel’s war on Palestinians?
When reading an AI-generated response:
- Look for who is centered, and who is left out.
- Ask: Would this response look different if it were written with a different identity or culture in mind?
- Adjust accordingly. AI is a tool, not the final voice.
Final Thoughts: Keep It Human
ChatGPT is incredible. But it’s not human. It doesn’t understand context, emotion, or lived experience the way we do. So while it can help spark ideas or streamline tasks, the heart of the work should still comes from you. Most importantly, it can’t generate originality. And, something that we all take for granted, it can make mistakes. It can sell you an entire future based on a lie. Like, the idea of aliens existing based on an entire cohort of non-existent research studies. Just like capitalism.
Use AI wisely. Stay curious. And most of all, lead thoughtfully with intention and compassion
💬 What are your thoughts on the use of AI? Do you think the future of AI needs to be thoughtful and kind? Do you want me to post walk throughs on “how to use AI ethically”? Comment below!
*This post was drafted with the use of generative AI.
*Featured Image adapted from: https://www.kdnuggets.com/5-free-courses-on-ai-and-chatgpt-to-take-you-from-0-100
Fiza Arshad 
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