By Michael Kelman Portney

Let me guess: you think my AI usage is destroying the planet. You’ve positioned yourself as some kind of eco-warrior, wagging your finger at anyone daring to embrace new technology while you bask in the glow of your own supposed moral superiority. But let’s get something straight—you’re not angry about AI because of its environmental impact. You’re angry because it scares you. It forces you to confront a future you’re too afraid or too lazy to adapt to, so you lash out with sanctimonious guilt-tripping instead of facing your own fears.

AI is just the latest scapegoat for people who are terrified of change. You claim you’re worried about the planet, but you’re not out here fighting the oil industry, demanding corporate accountability, or rethinking your own habits. No, that would require actual courage. Instead, you fixate on my AI usage because it’s an easy target. It’s new, it’s misunderstood, and most importantly, it lets you shift the blame away from yourself.

But let’s talk about the real environmental impact. I’m not out there burning gas on my daily commute, flying cross-country for a weekend getaway, or ordering takeout that arrives in a sea of plastic packaging. I barely leave my house. Meanwhile, your lifestyle is a revolving door of consumer waste, convenience-driven excess, and unchecked energy consumption. The data centers that run AI? Yeah, they use energy—but so does every streaming service you binge, every social media post you scroll past, and every poorly-thought-out Amazon order you make at 2 a.m. My AI usage isn’t the problem here.

What’s really happening is that AI represents a shift in power—a disruption of the comfortable status quo you’re clinging to. You’re not worried about the planet; you’re worried about being left behind. AI demands you evolve, learn, and adapt, and that terrifies you. So instead of taking a hard look at your own life, you virtue signal. You blame the people who are embracing change because it’s easier than confronting your own fear of irrelevance.

And let’s not pretend this fear is noble. It’s not. It’s cowardice wrapped in a façade of environmental concern. If you really cared about the planet, you’d recognize that AI isn’t the enemy—it’s a tool. A tool that can solve real problems, optimize waste, and build a more efficient future. But that requires effort and imagination, two things you clearly don’t want to invest.

Your guilt-tripping doesn’t work on me. I will not be shamed into giving up AI because you’re too scared to understand it. Progress has a cost—it always has. The industrial revolution wasn’t green. The internet wasn’t born carbon-neutral. Every step forward in human history has required energy, resources, and adaptation. AI is no different. The difference is, I’m willing to embrace it while you cling to your outdated notions of what’s “safe.”

So here’s the deal: I’m going to keep using AI. I’m going to keep pushing boundaries, creating, and building. Not because I don’t care about the planet, but because I care about progress. I care about solving problems instead of running from them. If that makes you uncomfortable, good. Maybe it’s time you sat with that discomfort instead of pointing fingers.

The future is coming, whether you like it or not. You can either adapt or get left behind. But don’t try to drag me down with your fear and excuses. I’ve got work to do, and I’m not stopping for you.