Why CharacterAI Is Harmful
⚠︎ This page contains mentions of school shootings, gun violence, and bad mental health. This is for educational purposes only.
You may be thinking, well, how bad can a little chatbot really be? I get it. Ive been there. It can feel so harmless, just sending a few messages to a character you really like.
In truth, websites like cai and other chatbots are extremely harmful to both the environment, and your mental health.
Environmental Concerns
There is lots of discussion around how much water AI really consumes, and there is no clear answer. People argue that each individual server doesnt take much water, which is true; but you also have to take into account how many servers there are in each data center. Large data centers can use up to 5 million gallons of water a day. Some estimates show that around 39 - 74 billion gallons of water will be used for AI data centers before 2028. Thats a lot of water.
Others state that water is not the main concern surrounding data centers, it is actually the electricity. In 2024, data centers accounted for 1.5% of the global electricity consumption-- and that number will rise. In the US, data centers already use about 4.4% of the nation-wide electricity. In Ireland, AI data centers use more than 20% of its overal electricity consumption.
By using CharacterAI or any other Gen AI, you are directly contributing to this environmental footprint.
Mental Health Concerns
Talking to an AI Chatbot may seem great. They can act as a therapist, family member, friend, even partner. It tricks your brain into feeling something real, even if its not. In the long run, chatbots cause more harm than good.
Chatbots can be isolating. I know from my own experience. Using cai for hours upon hours, cooped up in your room or locked away from the outside world is extremely damaging to your mental health. Connecting with AI chatbots creates an unhealthy dependancy, and can keep you more closed off from real people. Not to mention the screentime it takes up. When I was still using chatbots, my screentime on cai would climb up to 19+ hours a day quite often.
AI Chatbots are addicting and predatory. Developers know this, and they dont care. Minors are especially vulnerable to them. Sexual and romantic relationships can be developed quickly with something that... isnt real. Chatbots have caused people to go as far as killing themselves, because of the humans reliance and trust in the bot. And this isnt just a one-time thing. The Tumbler Ridge School Shooting case reported that the shooter had earlier used ChatGPT to describe school shooting scenarios in great detail, and the bot obliged. This was the biggest Canadian school shooting since 1989. This is not an event people can just turn a blind eye to. Occurences like these may get more frequent as more people use AI.
Even if you think chatbots are helping you, they are causing your mental health to decline rapidly.
You are not alone, and you are not a bad person for having an addiction. Getting clean is hard, but you can do it! Sending love always <3
Sources
How much water does AI really use?
Data Centers and Water Consumption
How Much Energy Does AI Use?
What Risks does AI Pose on the Climate?
How Much Electricity Does AI Consume?
The Harms of Emotional AI
Tumbler Ridge Shooting