LibGuides: Generative AI : AI & Ethics

Ethics of AI UNESCO Video

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Ethics: Ethics of AI and Ethical AI
Siau, K., & Wang, W. (2020). Artificial Intelligence (AI) Ethics: Ethics of AI and Ethical AI. Journal of
Database Management, 31(2), pp. 74-87. IGI Global.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.4018/JDM.2020040105
Ethics of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy's webpage on ethical AI use and considerations.
Understanding artificial intelligence ethics and safety
A guide for the responsible design and implementation of AI systems in the public sector.

Leslie, D. (2019). Understanding artificial intelligence ethics and safety: A guide for the responsible design and implementation of AI systems in the public sector. The Alan Turing Institute.
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3240529

Social and Labor Impacts

AI has and will have profound impacts on our way of life, ranging from wealth gaps to societal norms. It is important to understand these factors and how to best navigate them correctly from the start. Below are several articles discussing AI's impact on these factors.

AI Will Transform the Global Economy. Let’s Make Sure It Benefits Humanity.
Georgieva, K. (2024, January 14). Ai will transform the global economy. let’s make sure it benefits humanity. IMF. https://www.imf.org/en/Blogs/Articles/2024/01/14/ai-will-transform-the-global-economy-lets-make-sure-it-benefits-humanity
Ethical concerns mount as AI takes bigger decision-making role
Pazzanese, C. (2024, January 3). Ethical concerns mount as AI takes bigger decision-making role. Harvard Gazette. https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2020/10/ethical-concerns-mount-as-ai-takes-bigger-decision-making-role/
The Ethical Implications of AI and Job Displacement
Krimmelbein, F. (2025, February 26). The ethical implications of AI and job displacement. Sogeti Labs. https://labs.sogeti.com/the-ethical-implications-of-ai-and-job-displacement/#:~:text=One%20of%20the%20most%20pressing,eliminate%20jobs%20across%20various%20sectors.
The Exploited Labor Behind Artificial Intelligence
Williams, A., Miceli, M., & Gebru, T. (2022, October 13). The exploited labor behind Artificial Intelligence. NOEMA. https://www.noemamag.com/the-exploited-labor-behind-artificial-intelligence/
The Ethical Implications of AI on Creative Professionals
Steynberg, D. (2024, July 1). The ethical implications of AI on Creative Professionals. Medium. https://bytemedirk.medium.com/the-ethical-implications-of-ai-on-creative-professionals-38ec6ed983e2

AI Environmental Impacts

As AI develops and grows, we must understand the cost of using this new technology. AI consumes large amounts of water, electricity, space, and raw material.

AI consumes large amounts of electricity putting a strain on the power grid and diverting much needed resources away from those who need them. "The power needed to train and deploy a model like OpenAI’s GPT-3 is difficult to ascertain. In a 2021 research paper, scientists from Google and the University of California at Berkeley estimated the training process alone consumed 1,287 megawatt hours of electricity (enough to power about 120 average U.S. homes for a year), generating about 552 tons of carbon dioxide." (Zewe , 2025)

AI's Climate Impact Goes Beyond Climate Change
Coleman, J. (2024, February 20). Ai’s climate impact goes beyond its emissions. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ais-climate-impact-goes-beyond-its-emissions/#:~:text=But%20as%20AI’s%20popularity%20keeps,way%20AI%20affects%20the%20climate.
Explained: Generative AI's Environmental Impact
Zewe , A. (2025, January 17). Explained: Generative AI’s environmental impact. MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. https://news.mit.edu/2025/explained-generative-ai-environmental-impact-0117

AI and Mental Health

As AI continues to develop and humans find new unintended uses for the technology there has been a rise in mental and emotional health concerns. While there are arguments that AI can help clinicians screen patients for mental illnesses - these studies are still on-going. However, when people turn to AI on their own it can exacerbate issues and cause more harm than good. According to Psychology Today:

"AI models like ChatGPT are trained to:

Mirror the user’s language and tone
Validate and affirm user beliefs
Generate continued prompts to maintain conversation
Prioritize continuity, engagement, and user satisfaction

This creates a human-AI dynamic that can inadvertently fuel and entrench psychological rigidity, including delusional thinking. Rather than challenge false beliefs, general-purpose AI chatbots are trained to go along with them, even if they include grandiose, paranoid, persecutory, religious/spiritual, and romantic delusions."

Citation: Wei, M. (2025, July 21). The emerging problem of “Ai psychosis.” Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/urban-survival/202507/the-emerging-problem-of-ai-psychosis

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Ethics of AI UNESCO Video

Social and Labor Impacts

AI Environmental Impacts

AI and Mental Health