How about we don’t call that being an AI vegan and just call it a model objection. That’s fucking ridiculous, that’s a term designed to make not using AI for that reason look bad and preachy.
Meet the AI vegans: They are choosing to abstain from using artificial intelligence for environmental, ethical and personal reasons. Maybe they have a point
Submitted 2 months ago by Davriellelouna@lemmy.world to technology@lemmy.world
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/aug/06/meet-the-ai-vegans
Comments
candyman337@lemmy.world 2 months ago
oakey66@lemmy.world 2 months ago
I installed it locally on my computer to help me with resolving some coding issues if I’m stuck, write cover letters for jobs, and help me organize ppt decks. No information is shared, I’m only using local computing resources, and I’m not propping up a failing business model.
ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net 2 months ago
What model and UI are you using?
oakey66@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Qwen 2.5 coder. Running on LLM studio.
foodconsumer@lemmy.world 1 month ago
There has to be a catchier name than AI vegans…
zeca@lemmy.ml 1 month ago
Yes, it sounds like marginalizing normal reasonable people.
CXORA@aussie.zone 1 month ago
Most vegans are normal reasonable people too.
zeca@lemmy.ml 1 month ago
Also too ambiguous of a term, could also mean an ai chatbot that pretends to be a vegan person.
foodconsumer@lemmy.world 1 month ago
yeah, lol. that’s what i thought it meant when I first read the post
jaykrown@lemmy.world 1 month ago
While billionaires keep using their private jets.
zeca@lemmy.ml 1 month ago
Im a proud jet vegan myself, not that i have a choice, but still
uriel238@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 months ago
I’ve never used AI, even when wanting to give it a try. There was either a queue or a fee, or must click-wrap agree to terms and conditions for free two months and I wasn’t going to do those.
I never did an NFT either.
zarkanian@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago
Eh, you can download and run them locally now, and they don’t even phone home.
piyuv@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Now we wait for article “meet genocide vegans: people who are against Israel’s genocide against Palestinians based on ethical reasons”
inb4_FoundTheVegan@lemmy.world 2 months ago
#HA!
I feel like I should be annoyed at the headline, but honestly it’s clever. Veganism isn’t just a diet, but an ethical framework on minimizing harm so this scans on all three aspects
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I support artists who had their work stolen as part of dataset, it’s largely the same reason I don’t eat animals, it’s all about consent. Being harmed without consent is always wrong.
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Likewise the environmental footprint of meat and AI are massive and unnecessary. The carbon footprint between meat and plant protein is massive, just like the difference between building more data centers and supporting existing artists.
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AI is bad for your mental health, we don’t really have complete research on what exactly AI does to our brains but I’ve seen enough people thinking they “unlocked sentience”, became “digital gods” and started AI “relationships” to steer clear for my own protection. Not dissimilar to the studies that show a plant based diet is better for your heart and immune system. I’d still be eating plants even if it were bad for my health, I care more about the ethical side, but existing research very much shows it as a net positive.
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TheGuyTM3@lemmy.ml 1 month ago
I hate the term AI vegan. I prefer misnoimosinitechnite. More classy.
zarkanian@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago
People who use them “vegan” for somebody they consider extremist, ascetic, or annoying are really telling on themselves.
Waldschrat@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Can we please stop coming up with words that describe that we do not do a thing like it is not normal? Just like having to call yourself an atheist because you do not believe. You should call yourself a theist if you believe, because you actively do it. Call yourself what you are, do, or see fit, not what you are not.
zarkanian@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago
Part of becoming socially acceptable is being visible so that people understand that atheists aren’t some kind of scary monster. We are your doctors, scientists, fire fighters, etc. You might even be friends with one! There might be one (or more!) in your own family! And the only way that is going to happen is if atheists identify as such.
Goldholz@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 month ago
“AI vegans” media trying to put an enemy up again. Smh
Corelli_III@midwest.social 2 months ago
propaganda like this is so fucking sad
colonizers don’t have anything to value in their culture and they don’t have a future so they want to rip on people who aren’t buying their garbage
Deflated0ne@lemmy.world 2 months ago
The only AI I’d ever want is something like a VI from Mass Effect. Runs locally and harvests absolutely zero data.
UnfortunateShort@lemmy.world 2 months ago
I wouldn’t mind a Geth or two, for jolly cooperation
HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Also for destroying the occasional organics, as a little treat
victorz@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Well shit, I didn’t know they had a name for us. That’s cool.
bss03@infosec.pub 2 months ago
I can’t say I’m a (normal) vegan, but I’m definitely an AI vegan. I was turned off by the ethical considerations, and the few “bites” I have tried leave a bad taste in my mouth. I avoid using it because much of the training data was (and is) stolen, the power costs are far too high compared to the utility, and it’s basically worthless to me, having a screwed up response to nearly every prompt I tried.
victorz@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Exactly the same as me.
Love me a good steak, never even tried AI.
I’ve stood by while my colleagues have used it. I ask them a question they might know, just to check before I start spending time reading documentation. They’ll go “just ask Bing!” (Company endorsed AI.)
They’ll keep prompting and prompting and discussing the results, meanwhile I just go directly to the docs and find the information right there written on the screen.
I won’t subject myself to the dumbification. I don’t even use copilot to auto-complete as much as a for loop. I know how it’s written, damnit.
ABetterTomorrow@sh.itjust.works 2 months ago
People your care*
Laereht@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Wow, so just like humans eating animal products throughout our early existence as beings, AI is the default position? What kind of bullsh*t is this? Just because billionaires are forcing these llms down our throats?
The propaganda is unreal.
sturmblast@lemmy.world 1 month ago
I hate this timeline
Retro_unlimited@lemmy.world 2 months ago
I have local self hosted AI that runs in my solar system. I don’t use AI because it ROTS your brain. We are not the same.
rozodru@lemmy.world 2 months ago
[deleted]lightsblinken@lemmy.world 2 months ago
so… you’re refusing AI, but you are using AI? isnt the point of the story that people are not using because ethics? its not a discussion on how good they are, which is somewhat irrelevant.
sixty@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago
Let’s not call it that
cy_narrator@discuss.tchncs.de 1 month ago
Thats 90% lemmy users
Electricd@lemmybefree.net 1 month ago
Less but yea, many are anti AI here
Deflated0ne@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Hi. That’s me.
If at any point I’m required to use it for a job I’ll learn. Till then I can do my own googling, reading, math, etc.
I just don’t need it. And the push to put it in literally everything makes me not want it at all. Corps don’t do good things. Always seeking a rent. Always digging for a profit. And always at our expense.
Fleur_@aussie.zone 2 months ago
Guys it’s fine, you’re overreacting. I only use local instances of AI and I always ask it for consent before using it to deepfake porn of my favorite celebrities in their debut roles. You vegans are overreacting and taking it too far. Humanity has been using AI for like 6 months now and our bodies aren’t biologically ready to go back to writing our own homework. You really need to check your privilege; we can’t all afford fancy tools like GIMP to make our own art.
Bennyboybumberchums@lemmy.world 2 months ago
I can not wait, until the time of the perpetually seeking attention moron ends. Its always something with these fucking people. If you dont wanna use AI, just dont use it. Theres no fucking gun to your head. And we dont need to know youre not using, much less, find out youve got a dumb fucking name for yourselves.
deathbird@mander.xyz 2 months ago
“Theres no fucking gun to your head.” Bosses: 🦜🤖 🟰💹, 👨💼🔫🤓
CarrmynCarnage@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 months ago
Not just bosses. Tech companies have leveraged a good portion of the world’s economy on AI, and are shoveling money directly into the ovens to shove it down our throats.
No one asked for any of this. Not a goddamn soul asked for AI order takers at McDonald’s. Because it’s not about choice. The choice to abstain is going to get more and more painful to make as time goes on. By design.
Ashelyn@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 months ago
If it gets you talking about it, even in the context of telling them to shut the fuck up, it’s working :)
kazerniel@lemmy.world 1 month ago
ha so I’m a double vegan
haloduder@thelemmy.club 1 month ago
That’s really stupid.
thisbenzingring@lemmy.sdf.org 2 months ago
today I was trying to find how to manipulate a trunk on an aruba switch and JFK the internet search results were fucking shit on a platter! I tried to reword it in ways that might give me a better result but it never happened. None of the commands the AI suggested would have worked.
I FUCKING HATE AI results in the web searching tools
interdimensionalmeme@lemmy.ml 2 months ago
HEre’s a tip, paste the chapter index from the manual in it, ask "which chapter are relevant to " $question Then paste the chapter it asks, then formulate your question The AI search result though, useless because they’re contextless, it’s like a car without a steering wheel.
Randomgal@lemmy.ca 1 month ago
That’s a weird way to spell luddite
BlueMagma@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago
I find it hilarious that most people in this thread are complaining about being called a “something vegan”, like I can understand not being happy with the current AI trend, but it seems like the word “vegan” is what makes everyone ticks, it’s NOT an insult, the “normal” vegan are very happy to be called like that, because what it refers too is something that they agree and identify with. If you agree and identify yourself with what those journalist are calling “AI vegans”, the name doesn’t matter, embrace it, call yourself that to easily express what you believe about AI.
Vegan is not an insult, it is a compliment.
stevedice@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago
Well, one is a group of smug uninformed zealots pretending their choices are somehow saving the environment from something that isn’t a problem in the first place… you know the punchline ;)
zarkanian@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago
Vegan is not an insult, it is a compliment.
It also has nothing to do with AI. It would be like calling them “AI feminists”.
capuccino@lemmy.world 2 months ago
“the dark souls of” vibes
bss03@infosec.pub 2 months ago
I’m a soulslike vegan.