Your challenge to ‘spark curiosity’ immediately made me think of AI, which is something I have been avoiding for a variety of reasons (including ethical, which makes it hard for me to countenance actually engaging with it). Recently, two different students have come to me to talk about essay drafts, and they have shown me how they engaged with AI to support them in their work. I was actually pleasantly surprised to see that they were not at all asking AI to do the work for them; rather, they were being very thoughtful in the assistance they requested of it — e.g., checking that their work responded to the assessment brief, requesting a summary of their ideas to check whether they had actually conveyed what they had intended. This exposure to AI through their eyes impacted my attitude about it, and I will admit that it did spark a little curiosity that was previously lacking. Yet again, this highlights how interactions with others can be so important for our own learning, not just in terms of learning directly from them but also simply through exposure and nudging.
Using Gen AI to review or check your work is one of the few instances that makes sense to me. One example I read about was getting Gen AI to critique a presentation from the perspective of a specific client. On the other hand, the rise of data centres and their huge appetites for energy (often fossil fuel burning) and water, really scares me. I have never used Gen AI tools for mostly environmental reasons. But they have used me: https://jarche.com/2023/04/getting-scraped/
I also have significant concerns about the environmental aspects, and I am surprised that so few people mention these. For the longest time, my main concern was unethical practices around LLM creation, in terms of using content without permission (I feel your pain!), and also using that content to create dupes of original work. Then I switched over to being worried about how AI was putting people out of jobs; my journalist friends were already suffering and then this added a whole other layer of complexity. As much as I am concerned about overreliance on AI reducing our critical thinking skills (an obvious concern for someone who is not just a citizen but also a teacher!), it is the environmental stuff that scares me most. But, as one of my colleagues recently noted, our main discussions at the uni are mostly around ‘how do we prevent the use of AI to cheat / game assessments?’ and ‘how can we talk about AI in a way that makes students feel they can use that knowledge to get jobs once they graduate?’ We seem to have accepted that AI takeover is inevitable, that we must condone it, and now must find ways of integrating it for very pragmatic reasons. There is basically no suggestion that we take an ethical stand, try to suggest alternative futures, or consider different reasons for, or ways of, using it (including to try to alleviate the ethical concerns). It is really troubling overall.
The environmental impacts are real. I have been in the air quality/energy sector since the beginning of my professional career in 1987, having started with the federal USEPA and air quality permitting of energy sector projects (e.g., power plants, oil & gas, etc.).
(RANT WARNING AHEAD) And I have been astonished and enraged about careless development, commissioning, and operations – particularly Elon Musk’s xAI Memphis data center – https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/22/epa-thwarts-musks-diesel-turbines-ai-00737605. As somewhat of an insider (hearing from colleagues in the know and on the East Coast/D.C.), so many businesses and folks (e.g., equipment, construction, infrastructure, etc.) averted and ignored the necessity for environmental impacts and approvals. I find myself jaded.
My problem is quite the opposite: I have an insatiable curiosity about countless topics, and my challenge is not to get carried away by it and lose focus.
As a carry-over from the past workshop, I continue to be curious and want o learn more about being a Carer. Because of my role of carer for my 92 yrs old (in May) Mom who is fiercely independent, an avid gardener, and chooses to live on her own, caregiving is sometimes a double-edged sword. My brother lives nearby with his family but has less flexibility with his time.
In Nov 2025, I started a collection of notes under the theme of “An Improvised Carer_Collection” – originally for journal-type, short story accounts of time with my Mom. I’ve since expanded my notes to include community resources, training and education, navigating the health system bureaucracy, and managing affairs.
As I have been learning more – especially about supporting non-profit organization, governmental assists, and healthcare resources – I also find myself navigating my own feelings about the US healthcare system, mortality, religion, and family and social network.
Your challenge to ‘spark curiosity’ immediately made me think of AI, which is something I have been avoiding for a variety of reasons (including ethical, which makes it hard for me to countenance actually engaging with it). Recently, two different students have come to me to talk about essay drafts, and they have shown me how they engaged with AI to support them in their work. I was actually pleasantly surprised to see that they were not at all asking AI to do the work for them; rather, they were being very thoughtful in the assistance they requested of it — e.g., checking that their work responded to the assessment brief, requesting a summary of their ideas to check whether they had actually conveyed what they had intended. This exposure to AI through their eyes impacted my attitude about it, and I will admit that it did spark a little curiosity that was previously lacking. Yet again, this highlights how interactions with others can be so important for our own learning, not just in terms of learning directly from them but also simply through exposure and nudging.
Using Gen AI to review or check your work is one of the few instances that makes sense to me. One example I read about was getting Gen AI to critique a presentation from the perspective of a specific client. On the other hand, the rise of data centres and their huge appetites for energy (often fossil fuel burning) and water, really scares me. I have never used Gen AI tools for mostly environmental reasons. But they have used me: https://jarche.com/2023/04/getting-scraped/
I also have significant concerns about the environmental aspects, and I am surprised that so few people mention these. For the longest time, my main concern was unethical practices around LLM creation, in terms of using content without permission (I feel your pain!), and also using that content to create dupes of original work. Then I switched over to being worried about how AI was putting people out of jobs; my journalist friends were already suffering and then this added a whole other layer of complexity. As much as I am concerned about overreliance on AI reducing our critical thinking skills (an obvious concern for someone who is not just a citizen but also a teacher!), it is the environmental stuff that scares me most. But, as one of my colleagues recently noted, our main discussions at the uni are mostly around ‘how do we prevent the use of AI to cheat / game assessments?’ and ‘how can we talk about AI in a way that makes students feel they can use that knowledge to get jobs once they graduate?’ We seem to have accepted that AI takeover is inevitable, that we must condone it, and now must find ways of integrating it for very pragmatic reasons. There is basically no suggestion that we take an ethical stand, try to suggest alternative futures, or consider different reasons for, or ways of, using it (including to try to alleviate the ethical concerns). It is really troubling overall.
*rant done*
It’s news like this, and there are many cases including our small community, that really scare me about Gen AI:
https://therealnews.com/data-center-14-million-deal-to-consume-40-of-pennsylvania-towns-excess-water
The environmental impacts are real. I have been in the air quality/energy sector since the beginning of my professional career in 1987, having started with the federal USEPA and air quality permitting of energy sector projects (e.g., power plants, oil & gas, etc.).
(RANT WARNING AHEAD) And I have been astonished and enraged about careless development, commissioning, and operations – particularly Elon Musk’s xAI Memphis data center – https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/22/epa-thwarts-musks-diesel-turbines-ai-00737605. As somewhat of an insider (hearing from colleagues in the know and on the East Coast/D.C.), so many businesses and folks (e.g., equipment, construction, infrastructure, etc.) averted and ignored the necessity for environmental impacts and approvals. I find myself jaded.
Thank you for caring for the environment.
My problem is quite the opposite: I have an insatiable curiosity about countless topics, and my challenge is not to get carried away by it and lose focus.
As a carry-over from the past workshop, I continue to be curious and want o learn more about being a Carer. Because of my role of carer for my 92 yrs old (in May) Mom who is fiercely independent, an avid gardener, and chooses to live on her own, caregiving is sometimes a double-edged sword. My brother lives nearby with his family but has less flexibility with his time.
In Nov 2025, I started a collection of notes under the theme of “An Improvised Carer_Collection” – originally for journal-type, short story accounts of time with my Mom. I’ve since expanded my notes to include community resources, training and education, navigating the health system bureaucracy, and managing affairs.
As I have been learning more – especially about supporting non-profit organization, governmental assists, and healthcare resources – I also find myself navigating my own feelings about the US healthcare system, mortality, religion, and family and social network.