Against the wind: Meet the “AI vegans” who avoid artificial intelligence tools

A growing number of people are choosing to abstain from artificial intelligence tools entirely, calling themselves “AI vegans” who avoid AI for environmental, ethical, and personal wellness reasons. This digital abstinence movement emerges as concerns mount over AI’s environmental impact, exploitation of creative labor, and potential negative effects on human cognitive abilities.

The big picture: Just as traditional veganism gained momentum through ethical concerns about animal products, AI veganism represents a conscious choice to opt out of AI consumption despite societal pressure to embrace the technology.

Why this matters: Tech leaders like Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, warn that avoiding AI will create a “significant cognitive disadvantage,” but emerging research suggests overreliance on tools like ChatGPT could actually harm critical thinking abilities.

Key concerns driving AI veganism: Three main factors motivate people to avoid AI tools despite their growing popularity.
• Environmental impact: AI models consume massive amounts of energy and water—generating a simple image can use 10 times more energy than a Google search and require a bottle of water’s worth of resources.
• Labor exploitation: AI development relies heavily on underpaid creative workers whose labor is used to train models without proper compensation.
• Cognitive effects: Studies suggest that just as handwriting skills deteriorate from keyboard overuse, AI dependency may impair natural thinking processes and learning abilities.

Personal wellness angle: The movement draws parallels to how reduced handwriting has led to deteriorating penmanship skills, with some people finding their hands “didn’t quite cooperate” when attempting to write by hand after years of keyboard use.

What’s next: While mass adoption of AI veganism seems unlikely, the concept raises important questions about conscious AI consumption and whether users should see “digital calorie counts” showing environmental costs before making AI requests.

The analogy: The author notes the irony that “vegan leather”—often made from plastic—became aspirational through rebranding, suggesting AI veganism might follow a similar path in gaining cultural acceptance.