Per this article, with attached study, Microsoft and Carnegie Mellon University joined forces to produce a study that looked at the effect of AI on your critical thinking ability.

Surprise, Surprise – AI makes you dumber and worse at your job.

In effect, the more you rely on AI, the more you disengage from critical thinking, the dumber you become, and the less valuable you will be.

People that use generative AI tools produce less original work with less diversity of thought, versus their peers who work without AI.

We already know AI is damaging to the environment and produces a lot of bad answers.

With this new study we see that it is going to be harder for you to see those bad answers, as your critical thinking will continue to deteriorate.

As you deteriorate, your dependence on AI will grow, and the quality and accuracy of your work will continue to slide.

But hey, at least you get there faster.

Since 1971 we have been consuming more than the Earth can produce each year.  

To make matters worse, our consumption has been increasing.

Last year, 2024, per the picture, we hit Earth Overshoot Day on July 25.

On that date we had consumed all the Earth could produce in 2024.  After July 25, we started consuming into future years.

We are currently consuming 1.8 Earths every year.  

We have been over-consuming for 54 years.

What do you think the date will be in 2025?  Will we do better or worse than 2024?

Give us your guess.

This article asks if your board is an ESG leader or follower?

As most privately owned companies do not have a board of directors, let’s broaden the statement to say…

-“Are those that you turn for advice knowledgeable on sustainability/ESG, and capable of providing you with sound guidance?”

We know:

• Consumers, B2C clients, workers, governments, lenders, your community, your family and investors, are all expecting you to demonstrate the steps you are taking to show you are environmentally sustainable and promote diversity and equality;
• If not already faced with this, your company will soon be required to report on its Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions;
• Lenders are incorporating sustainability into their pricing and you will pay more if you are not certified sustainable;
• Prospective employees may take a job with you short term, but the majority of them will continue looking if you are not certified sustainable and have an acceptable ESG program;
• Clients will move their business from you to certified sustainable options when they find them;
• Insurance carriers can rate you as a higher risk if you are not certified sustainable;
• Potential buyers/investors in your company will value you higher if you are certified sustainable;
• Companies that are certified sustainable via a globally-respected program are growing 75% – 20x faster than their non-certified peers;
• Companies that are certified sustainable via a globally-respected program are enjoying +24% Net Income and +11% EBITDA versus their non-certified competitive peers.

Are your advisors able to help you understand and navigate these matters?

If not, consider adding an advisor that has this knowledge and can counsel you on same.

Recently, we posted these eight things you want in a sustainability program.

Years ago, our CEO worked in the HBA industry and was responsible for marketing fragrances, cosmetics and toiletries. 

Kristy Doolan interviewed our CEO for this article in Cosmetics Design Europe.

In the article, Kristy highlights the following points, which are consistent with statements we have also made in recent articles and posts –

• Green claims are held under a microscope – Greenwashing is being pursued by regulatory agencies and consumers

• Go Green or go home – If you are not able to prove you are a sustainable company, you are in trouble

• Purchase influence – The majority of consumers are considering sustainability when making a purchase

• Sustainability is growing in importance – As we posted recently, sustainability is already the #1 issue in the world….yet it continues to grow

• Greenwashing is out – Following on the point above, they are going to investigate if you are certified via a reputable program and if not, the reaction is not going to be good for your brand

• Reduction of carbon footprint is also important – Make sure your sustainability program includes the ability to also certify you for carbon neutrality

• The 8 things you want in a sustainability program – Kristy then presents our list of 8 things you should look for in a sustainability program

If you feel Kristy makes a good point, watch this master class and contact us.

Audio–visual entrainment (AVE) uses light and sound to stimulate neurotransmitters, increase cerebral blood flow, produce deep autonomic calming, and excite and reestablish neural networks.

Per this medical article in ScienceDirect, clinical studies show AVE helping the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), worry, depression, anxiety, cognitive decline, balance and memory in seniors, concussion, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), seasonal affective disorder (SAD), and pain remediation.

AVE also improves focus and concentration, leading to improved workplace performance, athletic performance and academic performance.

At Gym for the Brain, we combine AVE with our other modalities, to create a powerful overall benefit.

Per this article from the Harvard Law School Forum, here, in descending order, are ten corporate sustainability priorities for 2025.

10. AI: AI offers sustainability gains but raises potential environmental, social & governance (ESG) risks.
11. Sustainability storytelling: Beyond core disclosure, effective storytelling can engage diverse audiences and advance goals.
12. Business integration: The embedding of ESG into core functions is uneven but increasingly urgent.
13. Biodiversity: Nature risks are rising; disclosures are growing but measurement remains complex.
14. Water stewardship: Water stress is accelerating local risk strategies and reporting.
15. Supply chain transparency: Due diligence laws and reputational risk are driving deeper supplier scrutiny.
16. Climate strategy: Companies are deepening climate disclosure and aligning capital with risk, despite the evolving policy environment.
17. Return on investment (ROI): Internal expectations are rising to show the business case for sustainability investments.
18. ESG reporting regulations: Mandatory disclosure rules are expanding but increasingly fragmented across jurisdictions.
19. Policy shifts: US policy shifts are reshaping ESG language, legal review, and strategy.

What does this mean for you?

• Don’t think AI is free. It has serious environmental costs.  Decide when you use it with that in mind.
• People respond to stories. If you become certified sustainable, talk about it.  You will see the benefit.
• Our environmental problems will not go away just because politicians are afraid of them.
• If you are part of a supply chain, or wish to be, seriously consider becoming certified sustainable.
• Your sustainability program should provide a positive ROI. If not, you have the wrong program.

This article gives five things to look for to determine if a brand or company is greenwashing:

• Vague or ambiguous claims
• Lack of third-party certification
• Contrary practices
• No transparency
• Narrow sustainability focus

Obviously, we are biased.  However, if you are certified under a legitimate program, it will help address the other four.  If you are not certified under a legitimate program, the other four often occur.

If you want the market benefit of consumers rewarding you for being sustainable without the risk of being called out for greenwashing, become certified sustainable.

If this makes sense, read this on what you want in a sustainability program, watch this master class, and contact us.

We realize this will not be received well by some, but we hope it will educate the rest of you to think twice before you push that button.

Although the concept of artificial intelligence (AI) has been in play for centuries (we had chess-playing machines over 100 years ago), and the mid-1950’s (80 years ago!) is generally considered the official start of AI as a field, it seems everyone has become an expert in the past few years.

Further, with free services like ChatGPT available to anyone at any time, it is hard not to be lazy and use AI to formulate what you had previously used your brain for.

How is the accuracy?

• Due to the small sample size, this is not a scientifically defensible study, but our team has tested a few of the Large Language Models (LLMs) with fifteen questions, every three months, for the past 18 months. Of the 90 questions asked, the LLMs got six right (7%).  We’ve been told we have been too hard on the LLMs and needed to spend more time training them.    This could be true.
• However, per the attached, a far better study (1,000 standard questions – 500 multiple-choice and 500 free-response on simple topics like high school math and high school world history – to 14 LLMs) produced accuracy of 33% – 85%.

I don’t know about you, but I would not want to send anything to a prospect or client that was, at best, 85% accurate.  That remaining 15% is what separates the winners from the losers.

But is there a bigger tradeoff than accuracy?

Yes.  Just like your brain using 20% of the oxygen you breathe in, these LLMs consume a huge amount of energy to think.

• For instance, one study shows ChatGPT uses the same amount of energy as 33,000 homes in order to process your daily questions.
• In 18 months, the LLMs could consume the electricity equivalent to a country the size of the Netherlands.
• As for accuracy, the larger the energy consumption, the higher the accuracy.

Net, for every data inquiry, you have a choice:

• Use your brain and, although it will take you longer, you will become smarter, and your accuracy will probably be higher.
• Or, to be sensitive to the environment, use LLMs that consume lesser amounts of energy….and get mostly wrong answers.
• Or, environment-be-damned, use LLMs that consume greater amounts of energy…and still fall short of what you should want in terms of accuracy.

We are not promoting a return to living in caves and rubbing sticks together.

That said, you now know there is a sizable cost, in both accuracy and environmental impact, attached to that ‘free’ information.

Hopefully, this knowledge will cause you to not automatically use AI as a first option every time.