The resources used are but one of the problems with the modern uses of AI. Others include:

• Copyright and privacy. AI companies use copyrighted content and private data to train their models. Many companies have terms or user agreements that give them permission to use or sell any data on their systems. They collect data where they can, without regard for ownership, copyright or privacy.
• Fakes. We cannot trust what we see or read. Of course fake news and misinformation has been a problem for years, but genAI has turbocharged it, and now even video is becoming unreliable. We cannot trust anything anymore. Even appreciation of real art suffers because artists get accused of using AI even when it was hand made. Although the impact on politics is the biggest threat.
• Companies force employees to use it, even when employees don’t want it and it hurts the quality of their work. AI is often used as an excuse to fire people.
• The AI bubble dominates the economy. This cannot end well.

There are also legitimate and useful ways to use AI, and many of them could be very valuable, but that’s not what the industry or society is focusing on right now.

AI would probably be more acceptable if all of these issues were addressed.

Configure the right incantations and the machine god will serve your web pages, brother.