![\"AI-generated](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acoupletakesonms.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image.png?resize=427%2C640&ssl=1\")
Recently, Dan and I noticed many people on social media using AI to turn photos into fun caricatures. These AI-generated portraits soon seemed to be everywhere. We laughed and said, \u201cWe should ask AI to create one of us as A Couple Takes on MS<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n And so we did.<\/p>\n AI created an image of the two of us, just for fun. It was fascinating to see a version of ourselves generated by technology, and the image actually turned out pretty cute after just one small tweak.<\/p>\n We could have kept experimenting, but we stopped there. Neither of us wanted to mindlessly use resources just to see what else the tool could do.<\/p>\n Suddenly, something that had felt playful also felt complicated.<\/p>\n What began as a small, curious experiment seemed much bigger.<\/p>\n Considering the environmental cost of Artificial Intelligence<\/strong><\/p>\n I found myself wondering about the environmental cost behind it all, such as the energy required to power these systems and the water used to cool the massive data centers that support them.<\/p>\n I care deeply about this planet. While Dan and I don\u2019t have children, we do have four nieces and a nephew. And like most aunts and uncles, we want the world to be good for them. Not perfect, because the world has never been perfect, but certainly not worse.<\/p>\n And I often use the phrase, \u201cleave things better than you found them.\u201d<\/p>\n That idea has guided so many parts of my life. It shapes how I think about relationships, community, and even the small choices I make every day. Naturally, it also shapes how I think about technology.<\/p>\n Using AI made me pause and ask: Am I helping create something better, or am I contributing to something harmful?<\/p>\n I\u2019ve come to realize that most modern tools carry both promise and cost.<\/p>\n Electricity powers hospitals and homes, but it also requires resources. Cars give us mobility, but they also affect the air we breathe. Technology is rarely simple.<\/p>\n Artificial Intelligence is no different.<\/p>\n Yes, it consumes energy. Yes, some data centers use significant water for cooling. Those realities deserve attention and responsible solutions.<\/p>\n But AI is also helping improve medical research, optimize energy systems, and allow people with disabilities to communicate and create in ways that weren\u2019t always possible before.<\/p>\n That matters to me.<\/p>\n Using AI thoughtfully, rather than endlessly or mindlessly, feels like a way to hold both truths at once. It allows me to conserve my limited physical energy while still contributing my voice and ideas.<\/p>\n Stewardship doesn\u2019t mean perfection.<\/p>\n Using <\/strong>A<\/strong>rtificial Intelligence <\/strong>t<\/strong>houghtfully <\/strong>w<\/strong>hile <\/strong>l<\/strong>iving <\/strong>w<\/strong>ith MS<\/strong><\/p>\n It means paying attention. It means asking questions about the tools we use and the future we\u2019re shaping together.<\/p>\n And it means remembering that caring about the world is never na\u00efve.<\/p>\n I still believe in leaving things better than we found them, even in the age of artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n And if living with MS has taught me anything, it\u2019s that caring for what we\u2019ve been given\u2014our bodies, our relationships, and even our planet\u2014is always worth the effort.<\/p>\n \n The post What Artificial Intelligence has taught me about Multiple Sclerosis and stewardship<\/a> appeared first on A Couple Takes on MS<\/a>.<\/p>\n