THE HIDDEN COST OF AI: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AND PRECARIOUS WORK CONDITIONS IN THE GLOBAL SOUTH

Abstract

Artificial intelligence is one of the main drivers of contemporary technological transformation, with effects that transcend the realm of innovation and directly impact the environment and the world of work. Its expansion is underpinned by supply chains for the extraction of critical mineral resources, energy-intensive consumption, and forms of labor organization mediated by digital platforms, all of which generate significant socio-environmental impacts. An analysis of this process reveals that, while promoting technical advances, artificial intelligence intensifies pressure on fragile ecosystems and entrenches new forms of precariousness. The study’s overall objective is to analyze the hidden costs of artificial intelligence, linking environmental effects to forms of labor precariousness in the Global South. As specific objectives, it seeks to identify the impacts of mineral extraction and energy consumption on sustainability, examine the mechanisms of precariousness and the invisibilization of digital labor, discuss global inequalities resulting from the data economy, and evaluate alternatives for regulation and governance that integrate environmental and social justice. The research question guiding this study is: In what ways does the expansion of artificial intelligence contribute to exacerbating the environmental crisis and deepening labor precariousness in the Global South? The methodology adopted is qualitative in nature and is based on a critical literature review, which made it possible to articulate different analytical dimensions and interpret contradictions present in discourses on technological neutrality. The results demonstrate that artificial intelligence, when examined from a broad perspective, reveals environmental and social costs that cannot be ignored. The conclusion indicates that any innovation agenda must incorporate robust sustainability parameters and guarantees of decent work, lest it reinforce historical asymmetries and exacerbate socio-environmental vulnerabilities.