The Real Cost of Artificial Intelligence: Data Center’s Physical Impact on our Environmental 

After our final presentation of our work, we were asked to connect our project to the ten learning outcomes in the communication studies program. Here is how I did so, displaying my competency as someone graduating from with a BA in our program.

LOC1: Describe communication as a discipline, its central questions, and your career/professional development as a communication professional.

As further reflected in the sixth learning outcome, this project allowed me to describe communication as discipline, its central questions, and my professional development as a communication professional. Media literacy is largely seen as a communication issue, because the more media literate an individual is, the more effectively they are able to communicate with the world and others around them. Since artificial intelligence has been growing as almost sub-discipline, this project had us working around communication as a discipline and considering the central questions around our topic. It also gave me another opportunity to build my resumé, ePortfolio, and experiences to better prepare myself for graduating as a communication professional in public health.

LOC2: Explain, apply, and critique communication theories.

In the actual project and submitted work, this project did not inherently focus on any specific communication theories. However, as preparing to pitch our project to the class, we had to find three sources and complete an annotated bibliography surrounding media literacy. The articles I found within communication journals explained and applied to communication theories to media literacy, which is knowledge I personally took into the work I completed for the project itself. These understandings and background helped support and build the foundation for the success of our project.

LOC3: Locate, read, interpret, design, and conduct communication-related research.

While on a much smaller scale than usual, my portion of the applied communication project included some primary, quantitative research to prove the effectiveness of our messaging and event. After the panel and during the few questions we had time for, I passed around a Qualtrics survey that everyone in the room took. This included questions about their AI use and awareness of our panel topic, along with whether or not they thought it changed anything for them. I believe this proves the impact of our project and gives it a bit of merit. At the same time, I also completed data-base research preparing to pitch the project, both about artificial intelligence and media literacy at large.

LOC4: Create oral, written, and media messages that are appropriate for various audiences and purposes in many contexts.

This project is a perfect example of creating and adapting messages for a specific audience and purpose. We knew we wanted an expert panel, but that the guaranteed audience was a 100 level media and communication studies course. Because of this, we made great efforts to make sure the panelists were aware of this, that it would be a different audience than their typical ones. They did a great job with this, and I believe it made for an excellent panel. I am applying this similar topic to other classes, namely a graduate level medical sociology course. This allows me to explore the same thing with a much different medium and audience, showcasing my flexibility and adaptability as an emerging professional.

LOC5: Interpret and analyze communication messages, identify embedded meanings and influences, and create effective responses.

Artificial intelligence use and ethics is a sub-set of media literacy. This project helped me interpret and analyze communication messaging, as it allowed me to dig into the concept of artificial intelligence. I just took the critical class in media literacy last semester, so this helped me bridge what I learned there with an applied topic. The biggest benefit I am seeing is seeing the intention behind artificial intelligence and generative-artificial intelligence activity. Not everyone is using it with malicious intent, but things come up that require extra tools. This is how I have been able to shift my contempt and opposition against artificial intelligence from individuals using it to corporations.

LOC6: Meet your communication goals.

This project helped me reach my communication goals by allowing me to bridge my public health interests into my communication studies capstone course. My personal communication goals varies a bit from the individuals in my class as I am split between public health, medical sociology, and communication studies. By selecting this topic, it lets me approach this research interest and area by a different perspective than my other projects, rounding out my work in an impactful way. Not only am I interested in this topic from a public health standpoint, but I am able to turn it into something understandable and digestible to a specific crowd. I am also able to express and communicate this complex topic effectively.

LOC7: Evaluate ethical elements present in any given communication situation and respond appropriately.

While this was not inherently part of the project, I was questioned on my opinions on the general topic during the mini-conference presentation given to the class during our last class period. During our time for questions at the end of our slide deck, one of my classmates attending noted that I said my personal opinions on artificial intelligence did not change as a result of the panel. My other three classmates said it did, that they were able to approach it more ethically, but I said I was not. He asked to hear more about that, and I shared. Due to my public health interest, research I have done with health disparities for minority populations, and general stubbornness to things such as this being forced onto me, I stood strong in my opinion. I took this in, knowing people in the room probably used artificial intelligence that day, and shared without being mean or seeming like I was looking down on those individuals, because I truly do not think less of them. Instead, I point my negative opinions up at the societal forces that lead to this.

LOC8: Recognize, appreciate, and respect diverse perspectives, your self-awareness, your cultural self-awareness, and your ability to adapt your communication appropriately in diverse cultural contexts.

As reflected in my first essay about this applied communication project, I was (and had to be) very aware of diverse perspectives when it came to individual’s opinions and pseudo-relationship with artificial intelligence. We did this by being purposeful about our words around artificial intelligence, being sure to not villainize artificial intelligence and large-language learning models. Our panelists were perfect for this task, due to them both being straddled in fields using and surrounded by artificial intelligence and its consequences. I believe we effectively briefed them on the intended, captive audience of the class our panel was hosted in. There was not a ton of diversity when it came to cultures, besides the different education and professional spheres our panelist are in compared to the undergraduate course.

LOC9: Use communication to bring about positive change in your relationships, families, workplaces, and/or communities.

This project highlights my ability to effectively use communication to bring about positive change in my community. My group brought together experts to discuss a highly controversial and often confusing topics to a one-hundred level undergraduate course. By doing so, we were aware of our audience and our panelist, and found ways to make sure they were still able to provide reasonable information. By narrowing the gaps between the two, we brought positive change about those thinking about artificial intelligence and how it may impact their future job prospects. We also helped not villainize artificial intelligence, as it tends to be approached in a very black-and-white way.

LOC10: Communicate effectively in groups, on teams, and within collaborative environments.

Our capstone project was completed through a multiweek group project, all working together towards a common goal in a collaborative environment. This requires a level of compromise and commitment to each other and our project for our intended outcome. We did effectively do this, highlighting each of our strengths and meeting each other where we were for our weaknesses. A perfect example of this is I was the original person to do the moderation of the panel, but I have no experience in this area and was not super comfortable being the moderator. Laine and I worked this out between us, as I have done a lot of the behind-the-scenes tasks and sunk a lot of time in the project outside of the original, agreed medium. Along with that, the four of us worked well together to make sure our project happened successfully.