The Green Mirage of AI: How ChatGPT is Fueling the Climate Crisis

Dr Mark van Rijmenam, CSP -

What if your favorite AI assistant is secretly sabotaging our planet's future?

As the tech industry flaunts its contributions to net zero targets, the dark side of its environmental footprint remains starkly unaddressed. Despite the ethereal nature of apps and cloud storage, the physical datacentres powering them are guzzling energy at alarming rates.

For instance, the 5bn YouTube hits for the viral song Despacito consumed as much energy as heating 40,000 US homes for a year. Large language models like ChatGPT exacerbate this issue, with training processes that could consume around 700,000 litres of water for cooling.

Big Tech's ambitions underscore the escalating energy demand, raising concerns about resource depletion and environmental degradation. The extraction of essential minerals like lithium and cobalt for datacentre batteries is marred by significant water use and human rights issues.

Governments and tech companies must pivot towards transparency and responsible resource management to align technological advancements with environmental sustainability. Are we ready to demand greener AI innovations for a sustainable future?

Read the full article on The Guardian.

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