The Truth About AI's Environmental Impact

There is no doubt that AI is the future of technology, but what does this mean for our world? AI platforms have been around since the 1970s; however, it began to gain popularity in 2022 when OpenAI released their ChatGPT. Artificial intelligence capabilities have taken a huge leap since, going from a machine that couldn't understand certain sentences, to a $233 billion dollar industry that is able to create short films. How is this possible?

AI works by using algorithms to analyze data, identify patterns, and make decisions similar to the way a human would. There is so much more that goes into it, but this is the basic structure.

Evidently, it requires substantial amounts of energy to carry out these processes.

An AI model called 'BERT' was explored and researchers found that each person using this model used the same amount of energy as a round trip transcontinental flight for one person. Similarly, GPT-3, a much larger model, was estimated to use the same amount of energy as 123 gas powered passenger vehicles driven for a year. ChatGPT, one of the most popular AI platforms today, uses enough energy daily to power a small town.

Click here to read more: outrider.org

---

Deven's Reflections:

AI has developed exponentially over the past few years, but the energy efficiency hasn't. ChatGPT has a monthly carbon footprint of over 260,000 KG. If AI is going to be replacing certain sectors of business, there needs be a better source of energy or else we are going to reach 'the point of no return' (when the Earth reaches a temperature that can't be lowered by any means) much sooner than expected. It is estimated to to occur in 2035. Considering we have 10 years until this point and we are already behind on our goal to decrease the world's contribution to global warming by 1.5°, it is critical for energy corporations and companies using AI to come together and find a way to lower the carbon footprint of Artificial Intelligence. The amount of energy used by AI isn't directly the problem, it's the type of energy it uses. Perhaps utilizing a percentage of renewable energy rather than fossil fuels would be markedly better for the Earth and our future.