What is AI, how do apps like ChatGpt work and why are there concerns?

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become an increasingly part of everyday life over the past decade.

It is used to personalize social media feeds, find friends and family on smartphone photos, and pave the way for medical breakthroughs.

However, the rise of chatbots like Openai’s ChatGpt and Meta AI has been accompanied by concerns about the environmental impact of technology, ethical impacts, and data use.

With AI, computers can process large amounts of data, identify patterns, and follow detailed instructions on what to do with that information.

Computers cannot think, empathize, or think about why.

However, scientists are developing systems that can perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, and are trying to replicate the ways in which people acquire and use knowledge.

This could be that an online shopper is trying to predict which products to purchase based on previous purchases to recommend items.

The technology is also behind voice-controlled virtual assistants such as Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa, and is used to develop systems for self-driving cars.

AI helps social platforms like Facebook, Tiktok and X decide which posts to show to users. Streaming services Spotify and Deezer use AI to suggest music.

Medicine has many applications as scientists use AI to find cancer spots, check x-ray results, speed up diagnosis, and identify new treatments.

Generated AI is used to create new content that appears to have been created by humans.

This is done by learning from a huge amount of existing data, such as online text and images.

ChatGpt and Chinese rival Deepseek’s chatbots are popular generic AI tools that can be used to create text, images, code and other materials.

Google’s Gemini or Meta AI can similarly have text conversations with users.

Apps like Midjourney and Veo 3 are dedicated to creating images and videos from simple text prompts.

Generation AI can also be used to create high quality music.

Songs that mimic the style and sound of famous musicians have been circulating through word of mouth, and sometimes fans are confused about their credibility.

While acknowledging the possibilities of AI, some experts are worried about the impact of rapid growth.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) warns that AI could affect almost 40% of employment, exacerbating global financial inequality.

Professor Jeffrey Hinton, a computer scientist considered one of the “godfathers” of AI development, has expressed concern that a powerful AI system can even destroy humans – his fears have been dismissed by his fellow “AI Godfather”, Jan Lekun.

Critics also highlight the potential of technologies to replicate biased information and discriminate against several social groups.

This is because much of the data used to train AI comes from public material, including social media posts and comments, which may reflect existing social biases such as sexism and racism.

Also, although AI programs are more proficient, they are more likely to cause errors, such as creating images of people with wrong number of fingers and limbs.

Generating AI systems are known for their ability to “hastigate” falsehoods and claim falsehoods as facts, even inventing sources of inaccurate information.

Apple stopped its new AI feature in January after incorrectly summarizing news app notifications.

The BBC complained about the feature after Apple’s AI mistakenly told readers that Luigi Mangione, who was accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, shot himself.

Google also faces criticism of the inaccurate answers produced by AI search overviews.

This added concerns about the use of AI in schools and at work. Here it is increasingly used to create text summaries, emails and essays and resolve bugs in code.

There are concerns about using AI technology to “cheat” challenges or “smuggling” employees into work.

Writers, musicians and artists opposed technology on ethical grounds, accusing AI developers of using work to train their systems without consent or compensation.

Thousands of creators, including Aba singer-songwriter Bjorn Urveus, authors Ian Rankin and Joan Harris, and actress Julianne Moore, signed a statement in October 2024 calling AI “a major unjust threat.”

It’s not clear how much AI systems use it, but some researchers estimate that the entire industry could consume as quickly as the Netherlands.

It takes a lot of power and water to create the powerful computer chips needed to run AI programs.

The demand for generated AI services also means an increase in the number of data centers that power them.

These huge halls – house thousands of racks of computer servers – use a considerable amount of energy and require a large amount of water to keep them cool.

Some large tech companies have either invested in ways to reduce or reuse the water they need, or have opted for alternatives such as air cooling.

However, some experts and activists fear that AI will exacerbate water supply issues.

Some governments have already put in place rules governing how AI operates.

The EU’s artificial intelligence law manages high-risk systems used in areas such as education, healthcare, law enforcement, and elections. Some AI use is completely prohibited.

China’s Generated AI Developers are necessary to protect citizens’ data and promote information transparency and accuracy. But they are also bound by the country’s strict censorship laws.

In the UK, Prime Minister Kiel says the government will “test and understand AI before we regulate it.”

Both the UK and the US have AI safety agencies that aim to identify risks and evaluate advanced AI models.

In 2024, the two countries signed an agreement to cooperate on the development of “robust” AI testing methods.

However, in February 2025, neither country signed an international AI declaration pledging to an open, comprehensive and sustainable approach to technology.

Several countries, including the UK, have closed their AI systems and have prepared sexual abuse materials for Deepfake Nude Imagery and Child.