In a world obsessed with the shiny promise of artificial intelligence, I've found myself growing increasingly frustrated with it. What started as a cool tech gimmick has ballooned into a resource hogging monster that's disrupting everyday life. From skyrocketing hardware prices to environmental nightmares, AI isn't just overhyped it's actively making things worse for the average person. In this post, I'll break down the reasons why I've come to despise AI, focusing on its role in the current hardware crisis, its ripple effects on consumer tech, and its outrageous energy demands.

The Hardware Shortage Nightmare

AI's insatiable appetite for computing power is wreaking havoc on the global supply chain for essential components like RAM and GPUs. Data centers powering AI models require massive amounts of high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and specialized chips, leading manufacturers to prioritize these lucrative contracts over consumer needs. The result? A severe shortage that's driving up prices and limiting availability for everyone else.

Take RAM prices, for instance. They've spiked dramatically in recent months, with DDR5 and DDR4 modules seeing increases of up to 200% or more in some cases. This isn't just inflation it's directly tied to AI demand straining DRAM supply. Memory giants like Samsung and SK Hynix, which control a huge chunk of the market, are charging customers 30% more for DRAM and NAND as they shift production to meet AI needs. Analysts predict this trend will continue, with DRAM shortages persisting into 2026 and beyond.

Then there's Micron, one of the big three memory producers, which has outright abandoned its consumer RAM business under the Crucial brand. They've cited the "surge in demand for memory and storage" from AI data centers as the reason, choosing to focus on more profitable enterprise clients instead. This move alone is a gut punch to PC builders and gamers who've relied on affordable Crucial products for years.

Even Samsung, a behemoth in both semiconductors and consumer electronics, isn't immune to internal conflicts. Reports indicate that Samsung's semiconductor division has rejected long-term RAM supply deals from its own mobile division, opting instead for quarterly negotiations at higher prices to capitalize on AI-driven profits. It's absurd Samsung won't even sell RAM to Samsung because AI clients are more lucrative.

NVIDIA, the king of GPUs, is also scaling back. They're reportedly cutting consumer GPU production by 30 to 40% in the first half of 2026 compared to 2025 levels, again due to memory shortages exacerbated by AI priorities. While they're ramping up AI focused chips, everyday gamers and creators are left paying the price with higher costs and limited stock.

These shifts aren't isolated; they're a systemic issue where AI's greed for resources is starving the consumer market.

The Ripple Effect On Everyday Devices

The hardware crunch isn't confined to high-end PCs, it's trickling down to smartphones, laptops, and other gadgets we use daily. With memory shortages projected to worsen, manufacturers are already planning to dial back specs to keep prices somewhat manageable, but that means consumers lose out on performance.

Looking ahead to 2026, expect smartphones to ship with less RAM across the board. Budget phones might revert to 4GB configurations, mid-rangers could stick to 6GB or 8GB, and even flagships may see fewer 16GB options, dropping to 12GB in many cases. Global smartphone shipments are forecasted to shrink by 2.1% next year due to these rising costs, with bill-of-materials increasing by 10 to 25% depending on the segment. Companies like Samsung may have to raise launch prices for new models, and older devices won't see the usual discounts.

Laptops and tablets are in the same boat. Dell and others are prepping price hikes of up to 30%, and some vendors are hoarding memory to mitigate shortages. The irony is that AI features in these devices like on-device processing require more RAM, yet the AI boom is making it harder to include. We're essentially paying more for less, all because AI data centers are gobbling up the supply.

This isn't just inconvenient; it's a step backward in tech accessibility. Devices that were getting more capable are now being hamstrung by an industry chasing AI profits.

The Insane Energy Hog

Beyond hardware, AI's energy consumption is downright ridiculous, especially for what often amounts to trivial tasks like generating memes or answering simple queries. Training and running AI models in data centers guzzle electricity on a scale that's hard to fathom.

In 2025 alone, AI related data centers are estimated to consume as much electricity as entire countries, with projections showing a doubling to 945 TWh by 2030 about 3% of global electricity. Some of the largest AI facilities use as much power as 2 million households. And that's not even counting the water footprint; AI systems could consume as much water as all bottled water drunk worldwide in a year, thanks to cooling needs in data centers.

Carbon emissions are another story. AI's 2025 footprint is equivalent to New York City's annual CO2 output, or over 8% of global aviation emissions. For small tasks, like a single ChatGPT query, the energy use adds up quickly billions of queries daily equate to powering thousands of homes. It's inefficient and wasteful, especially when traditional computing could handle many of these without the overhead.

Why This Isn't Sustainable

If AI is already causing shortages, price hikes, and environmental strain at this scale, imagine what happens as it grows. Demand for AI infrastructure is exploding, with data center energy use potentially quintupling by 2040. This isn't sustainable; we're diverting resources from essential consumer tech to fuel an AI arms race that's mostly benefiting big corporations. Supply chains are strained, emissions are rising, and the bubble shows no signs of slowing yet.

The knock-on effects touch everything, higher costs for electronics, reduced innovation in consumer hardware, and increased pollution. If unchecked, AI's expansion could reverse progress on climate goals and make tech less accessible.

In the end, AI feels like a solution in search of a problem, one that's creating more issues than it solves. I wish the AI bubble will burst next year and all AI companies collapse with it. Maybe then we can get back to tech that actually serves people, not just profits.