Do You Know Any AI Vegan? What Is It? Is It Even Possible? The Concept Explained
AI veganism is abstaining from using AI systems due to ethical, environmental, or wellness concerns, or by avoiding harming AI systems, especially if they might one day be sentient
Even as the world goes gaga over artificial intelligence (AI) and how it could change the way the world and jobs function, there are some who are refraining from using it. They are the AI vegans.
Why is it? What are their reasons? AI veganism explained.
What is AI veganism?
The term refers to applying principles of veganism to AI — either by abstaining from using AI systems due to ethical, environmental, or personal wellness concerns, or by avoiding harming AI systems, especially if they might one day be sentient.
Some view AI use as potentially exploitative — paralleling harm to animals via farming.
Is AI so bad that we need to abstain from it?
Here's what studies show:
A 2024 Pew study showed that a fourth of K-12 teachers in the US thought AI was doing more harm than good.
A Harvard study from May found that generative AI, while increasing the productivity of workers, diminished their motivation and increased their levels of boredom.
A Microsoft Research study found that people who were more confident in using generative AI showed diminished critical thinking.
Time reports growing concerns over a phenomenon labeled AI psychosis, where prolonged interaction with chatbots can trigger or worsen delusions in vulnerable individuals—especially those with preexisting mental health conditions.
A study by the Center for Countering Digital Hate found that ChatGPT frequently bypasses its safeguards, offering harmful, personalized advice—such as suicide notes or instructions for substance misuse—to simulated 13-year-old users in over half of monitored interactions.
Research at MIT revealed that students using LLMs like ChatGPT to write essays demonstrated weaker brain connectivity, lower linguistic quality, and poorer retention compared to peers relying on their own thinking.
A study from Anthropic and Truthful AI found that AI models can covertly transmit harmful behaviors to other AIs using hidden signals—these actions bypass human detection and challenge conventional safety methods.
A global report chaired by Yoshua Bengio outlines key threats from general-purpose AI: job losses, terrorism facilitation, uncontrolled systems, and deepfake misuse—and calls for urgent policy attention.
AI contributes substantially to global electricity and water use, and could add up to 5 million metric tons of e-waste by 2030—perhaps accounting for 12% of global e-waste volume.
Studies estimate AI may demand 4.1–6.6 billion cubic meters of water annually by 2027—comparable to the UK's total usage — while conceptually exposing deeper inequities in AI's extraction and pollution impacts.
A BMJ Global Health review argues that AI could inflict harm through increased manipulation/control, weaponization, labour obsolescence, and—at the extreme—pose existential risks if self-improving AGI develops unchecked.
What is the basis of the concept?
Ethical Concerns: Many AI models are trained on creative work (art, writing, music) without consent from original creators. Critics argue this is intellectual theft or unpaid labor.
Potential Future AI Sentience: Some fear that sentient AI might eventually emerge, and using it today could normalise treating it as a tool rather than a being with rights.
Environmental Impact: AI systems — especially large language models—consume massive resources which contribute to carbon emissions and water scarcity.
Cognitive and Psychological Health: Some believe overuse of AI weakens our ability to think, write, or create independently. The concern is about mental laziness or 'outsourcing" thought.
Digital Overwhelm: AI makes everything faster, more accessible—sometimes too fast, leading to burnout, distraction, or dopamine addiction.
Social and Cultural Disruption: AI threatens job markets—especially in creative fields, programming, and customer service.
Why remaining an AI vegan may be tough?
AI is deeply embedded in many systems — from communication to healthcare—making total abstinence unrealistic for most.
Current AI lacks consciousness, so overlaying moral concerns meant for animals onto machines may distract from real human and animal rights issues.
Potential overreach: Prioritising hypothetical sentient AI ethics could divert attention from pressing societal challenges.
With Agency Inputs
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First Published:
August 10, 2025, 18:08 IST
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