AI · 4 min read

AI gives with one hand and takes with the other

Every AI breakthrough comes with a quiet trade off. Here is the good, the bad and the ugly.

I like AI and I use it every day. I also think owners should see what comes with it, so here are six areas.

Efficiency

The goodIt automates repetitive work in seconds and frees people for higher value tasks. Users report saving roughly 5% of their work hours.

The badSpeed comes at the cost of oversight, and 51% of organisations report negative effects from AI inaccuracies.

The uglyJob displacement is real. The World Economic Forum projects 92 million roles displaced globally by 2030.

Learning and development

The goodLearning paths at each person's own pace, with instant feedback. A 2025 randomised trial found AI tutoring outperformed in class active learning.

The badModels trained on biased data repeat that bias, and English makes up around 93% of GPT-3's training data.

The uglyBias compounds quietly when nobody checks the output. Stanford researchers found AI resume screening tools rated older male candidates higher than equally qualified women and younger candidates.

Companions and emotional support

The goodAlways available support that can ease loneliness.

The badThe line between support and dependency blurs fast, and MIT Media Lab research found heavy daily chatbot use tracked with more loneliness, not less.

The ugly72% of teens have used an AI companion, and one in five report an emotional or romantic bond with one.

Health

The goodAI imaging tools reach 76 to 90% diagnostic accuracy.

The bad28% of Australians live rural or remote, with fewer health professionals and patchy broadband.

The uglyHealth is Australia's most breached sector, with 18% of reported breaches in the first half of 2025.

The environment

The goodSmarter energy grids.

The badData centres used about 448 TWh in 2025, enough to rank as the world's 11th biggest electricity consumer if they were a country.

The uglyTheir water footprint is projected to reach 9.3 trillion litres by 2030.

Personalisation

The good75% of consumers are more likely to buy from brands that personalise.

The bad81% of AI users believe their information will be used in ways they are not aware of.

The ugly70% have little to no trust in companies to make responsible decisions about AI and their data, and only 26% of brands disclose when AI is used.

So enjoy the superpowers, but remember

Your job might get faster this year, or it might not exist next year.
Every "recommended for you" comes with a price tag: your data.
Your AI tutor learns fast, unless you are not who it was trained on.
The AI diagnosing you could beat your doctor, if you can even get access to it.
AI can feel like it understands you, but it can't be there for you.
Every prompt you send has a power bill and a water bill attached.

For a business, the practical answer is simple. Agree on how your team uses AI before it spreads on its own.