AI: Is it worth it?
By David Reintjes
web posted October 6, 2025
In this modern era, AI is king. Glorified beyond any technology introduced in the past century, Artificial Intelligence is one of the most controversial topics of this day and age. Promoted, yet distrusted by those high in the government, and worshipped by the unwashed masses. It is looked to for advice on anything and everything from how to cheat on your AP Economics essay to how to fix your car. The real question, however, asked by any who have watched "2001: A Space Odyssey," is "Is this worth it?" Let us explore the possibilities and you, the reader, may determine for yourself.
Since the early 1930's, when "Machine Intelligence" was first conceived by Alan Turing, the top minds of the world have been working to achieve sentient computers. For decades theorizing was all that could be done, but by the late 70s artificially intelligent chess programs rolled out on the greatest supercomputers of the day. By 1985 computers could execute simple tasks such as locating items in a store or navigating simple mazes. However, real "Artificial Intelligences" were out of reach for the processing power of the 20thВ century. "Intelligence" was faked via clever coding, color recognition and straight up lying. Insect levels of intelligence was all that was achievable before the year 2000. However, since the beginning of this century, machine learning has been achieved, and advancements such as self driving cars, chatbots, and functional "Androids," or humanlike robots, have been created.
This brings up the disturbing dependence that has begun to form between Man and Computer: we look to Artificial intelligence as a catch-all, a solution to any problem. But there are downsides to it, and great ones at that. First comes the massive energy bill for the farms: the energy to create one AI image could charge a smartphone battery. For every ten datacenters operational, upwards of 1.21 gigawatts of electricity is used annually. That is enough to charge two thousand smartphones a minute for a year! There is only one sustainable way to fuel this, and that is nuclear energy, shied away from by many for its hazard. Regardless, the cost of energy to run banks of AI chatbots like this is exorbitant. ChatGPT, Grok, and other chatbots are provided for free. But there is no such thing as a free lunch; what exactly is AI getting in exchange for your prompts and usage? We don't know. We entrust our information to it in a manner of extreme candor, so much so that we tell AI things we don't tell our most trusted confidantes. We entrust it with driving through deadly traffic, our information, and whatever else it asks of us.
Have you ever watched "The Terminator?" "2001: A Space Odyssey?" "War Games?" "The Matrix?" These predict many of the AI advancements that we are striving towards. Do we want to entrust our knowledge, our lives, with AI? Apparently so. As we reach the midpoint of the decade, the demand for AI has increased exponentially. Even as more people have started using it, more and more startups appear, utilizing more and smarter Artificial Intelligence programs. The demand has increased at an unprecedented rate, as programs previously locked behind paywalls become available for free. As the market, and the Internet as a whole, becomes saturated with AI, what will happen? AI will become what we depend on for answers, surely. But then what next? What will happen with artificial intelligence in the next ten years? The next five? EvenВ one year outВ we have no idea what AI will look like.
Even if we demand AI,В shouldВ we? Is it in Mankind's best interest to allow this to happen while we stand by? Can a true, digital sentience even exist? Should it? Questions like this stem from one, all important desire of Man: ease. Artificial Intelligence provides an easy way out for Man. But the goal of this essay is not just to cover current events, or to dissuade you from using AI. This essay is here to give you something to think about; something toВ learnВ about. And so, I leave you with one final question:
What is the cost? 
This is David Reintjes' first contribution to Enter Stage Right. (c) 2025 David Reintjes
