As a local of Upper Hutt, I have noticed an uptick in the usage of AI generated images across local sites like the Upper Hutt Connection. I’ve even spotted my fair share of AI ‘artists’ and generated banners at the farmers market in Brewtown, an event that is meant to celebrate human made crafts and goods. Due to these immediate factors, I do my best to keep up to date with recent media coverage on AI, its capabilities and its effects on the world. Much of this news, however, is of the growing concern for the many risks AI poses. These risks which make me very concerned about its usage locally.

Firstly, AI is already taking job opportunities from local New Zealanders, with brands like Skinny replacing their usual advertisements with AI generated video and voiceovers under the guise that it helps to lower costs for their customers. These were positions that were once held by hard working kiwis who wrote scripts, managed the cameras, actors who gave us their colourful performances, directors who oversaw these projects and helped craft them into the ones we saw online and TV, editors who fine tuned every aspect until the shots were ‘just right’. So many positions suddenly disappearing all for the sake of ‘cheaper prices’ (which are simply untrue, companies like Skinny have still increased their prices for things like broadband) and ‘keeping up to date’.

But I also acknowledge that this is a particularly difficult challenge to fight under the current economy. More and more citizens (and companies) are concerned with pinching pennies with groceries, rates and household bills skyrocketing. But the economic concerns are not the only risks with this developing technology.

Secondly, towns where AI data centres were built are already losing their freshwater resources. Chicago Sun Times covered in an August article, that Chicago is already thinking about using the water from the Great Lakes to make up for the data centres water usage. And it’s affecting not only the city, but the Midwest farms and land around the area.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/environment/2025/08/20/data-centers-ai-artificial-intelligence-chicago-illinois-great-lakes-michigan-drinking-water-jb-pritzker
This is due to the large amount of water used to cool these facilities, a study from PUIIJ in 2023 showing that 10-20 prompts into ChatGPT uses 500mls of water: just above the size of a mini Pump water bottle.
http://www.puiij.com/index.php/research/article/view/39
And with one of these data centres already having been built in Auckland, I can’t help but worry for the state of New Zealand. This is an immediate point of concern for myself with the Hutt councils discussions around water shortages.

Thirdly, AI is heavily energy intensive. MIT estimates that prompting an AI generator to make a 5 second video uses enough power to run a microwave for over an hour.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=v3Q_uC5P1hE&pp=ygUsTUlUIHdlIGRpZCB0aGUgbWF0aCBvbiBhaSdzIGVuZXJneSBmb290cHJpbnQ
Keep in mind, that this is all energy added on top of what we already use in our day to day lives, like keeping the fridge running and charging our phones. Companies like OpenAI have said that ChatGPT receives 2.5 billion queries every day- how many microwaves could we run just on ChatGPT’s daily energy usage? How many households could be using that energy instead? Hospitals? Local businesses? How would this affect our already costly power bills?

These are only a handful of the issues that AI poses. How are we expected to deal with all these issues on top of the ones we are already facing?

New Zealand may be headed down a dangerous path for our people and the environment, so I write this as someone who cares deeply about it and our future: I hope to see more coverage on the risks of AI. I hope the people of the Hutt and Aotearoa will challenge themselves to stay informed and fight for fairer conditions.

This makes events like our local elections all the more crucial to vote and have our say in. Where we have a chance to elect people who will stand for the regulations around the usage, safety, environmental and ethical issues of AI. A chance to vote for people who care not just about our immediate future, but one that can last for generations to come.

So Upper Hutt, I ask this, will you help secure our future?

A “thank you” to N.J for sending this letter to The Upper Hutt Connection.

25/09/25