Today, when large language models (LLMs) are driving the pursuit of artificial intelligence (AI), or artificial general intelligence (AGI) to rival human intelligence, it appears that the solutions we are seeking are similar to covering the earth with leather in order to keep your feet clean.
https://theprint.in/opinion/ai-pause-natural-thought/2938484/
OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which, a few months ago, reported having over 700 million daily users, requires – according to an IEEE report – 850 Mw of power daily – or 310 Gw annually. That’s more than India’s total non-fossil-fuel-based power capacity of 263 Gw. And this is only one LLM we are talking of. There are literally scores of LLMs being created, often using text and data sourced from the internet, often without paying licence fees to those who created the content in the first place.
The rush to invest endless amounts in AI has gotten so mad, that no one is stopping to think about its consequences for society. Many observers have pointed out obvious issues, but no one is really listening.
First, note the pace of change. The motor car or washing machine took decades to reach one million users – enough time for those threatened with disruption to learn new skills or professions. ChatGPT reached a million users in five days.
LLMs and agentic AI tools may not yet be threatening existing jobs wholesale, but as newer versions and AI agents replace human coding skills, they will certainly constrain new job creation, and ultimately threaten existing jobs. Consider the huge destruction of market valuations in software services companies with the mere introduction of Anthropic’s Claude Cowork. Human populations, especially those above a certain age, cannot upskill to keep up with that kind of pace of change.
AI will ultimately dumb down human ability, unless we make a deliberate choice to not allow it to do so in certain areas. If PhD scholars, students, and ordinary folks think all the answers to questions, or basic research work, can be done by asking Google Gemini or ChatGPT or the Chinese DeepSeek, we will stop using human skills to seek better answers. All answers will be the canned ones provided by AI algorithms, including bad answers. To prevent this from happening, those who have to check for integrity will use more AI tools to detect automated work. The Supreme Court recently pulled up a junior judge for citing fake judgments using AI.
22/05/2026
The Union cabinet approved the India AI Mission in March 2024, with a budget outlay of Rs 10,371.92 crore over five years. A NITI Aayog report estimates that AI could add between $500 and 600 billion to India’s GDP by 2035. Job Crisi s or Sustainable Growth? What the Rapid AI Adoption in India Signifies - The Wire
Our government, like governments around the world, paints a rosy picture of our AI-powered future. Take, for example, NITI Aayog’s report, AI for Inclusive Societal Development (October 2025). It highlights how AI-driven tools can boost productivity and resilience for millions who form the backbone of India’s economy. The report also stresses that technology can bridge deep social and economic divides, ensuring that the benefits of AI reach every citizen.
The growth and expansion of AI is dependent on data centres which store vast amounts of data. The Union Budget 2026-27 provides for a 20-year tax holiday for foreign data companies using local data centres and exempts taxes until 2047 to attract firms like Google and Microsoft.
Data centres consume unfathomable amounts of energy, labour and natural resources. For example, a single AI query can consume up to ten times more power than a basic online search, and training a large language model can use over 1,000 megawatt-hours of electricity, roughly equal to the consumption of several hundred Indian households.
Experience in other parts of the world shows that when data centres are located in or near agricultural regions with overexploited aquifers, directly competing with farming for groundwater, water depletion adversely impacts agriculture.
Data centres in India have already been affecting the environment. Cooling systems in large data centres rely on water-based technology, yet over 80% of the facilities today are located in water-scarce states such as Maharashtra, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu.
In Bengaluru, data centres reportedly consume nearly eight million litres of water each day, even as the city faces extreme water shortages.
09/02/2026
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is being hailed as a saviour technology, but the drama is nail-biting. Will the huge investments pay off, or will AI go bust? AI is being hailed as transformational – according to JP MorganChase CEO Jamie Dimon, it will change the world like electricity did. But a strange quiet attends the all-important question of AI’s revenue model. Is advertising going to be adopted? The implications are enormous but the silence continues. https://thewire.in/tech/the-drama-around-ai-will-it-go-bust-or-will-the-investments-pay-off
by Arvind Rajagopal
11/12/2025