I just saw a post about generative AI usage in witchcraft. I am a witch and just... someone with thinking skills. Its time for a tedtalk.
What is witchcraft? Witchcraft is the use of herbs, belief, ingredients, tools, intention, and other means of casting. This can also often include religion, or working with deities, which includes offerings to aforementioned beings. Some forms of divination also use animal parts for their practice (such as osteomancy).
Within the herbal side, collection and use of herbs is practically essential to any craft. Implementing crystals is also common, and crystals are often casually available such as in store like Five Below.
For all of these ingredients, there are many different ways to acquire them. However, to be ethical (which many religions and/or deities require), research is necessary as well as effort. Bones can be scavenger rather than poached, offerings can be part of using a whole animal or humanely sourced, herbs can be researched for sustainable practices, crystals can be checked and traced back to determine if it was illegally/inhumanely mined.
Especially with in a folk practice (which OP does), a connection to conservation, sustainability, and ethics is deeply rooted. Within folk religions connected to/influenced by Christianity (ex: italian folk magic, Appalachian folk magic), there is a need to be compassionate (and you guessed it, ethical!).
If our ingredients need to be ethical, as per tenets and integrity of crafts, then where does AI fall?
Generative AI is a massive consumer of water along with a large polluter of carbon dioxide. In areas that use electricity, bills spike higher to cover the costs. In some areas, the data centers produce so much noise that it causes physical effects. Generative AI is actively harming not only people, but the environment. Water consumption often leaves water unrecyclable, and carbon dioxide has continously been a looming threat.
A study by MIT had also found that continued AI usage correlated to lowered brain activity. Depenance on this polluting technology reduces critical thinking skills and creativity. (We are not getting into art and genai rn, whole other discussion)
Reducing use of AI is a fundamental positive. Ignoring these products and even protesting them helps us to fight back against it. So, please, stop using GenAI.
ChatGTP Witchcraft is not valid Witchcraft. Its budget ai/+religious psychosis inducing and planet ruining.
