Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly ubiquitous in our day-to-day lives. However, while many are concerned about the potential harm AI could cause humans, there is a more pressing issue at hand: the environmental impact of AI.
ChatGPT is a popular AI chatbot that can assist with tasks such as writing essays or finding a dream home. However, in order to function, AI models like ChatGPT require a lot of hardware, electricity, and training data. The energy usage associated with AI models has devastating consequences for the planet. According to carboncredits.com, asking ChatGPT one question could produce as much as five times the amount of carbon emissions as a single Google search. Estimates have placed ChatGPT’s daily queries at anywhere between 100 million and one billion, which could result in up to a million kilos of CO2 emissions every day.
Training and developing AI models are also highly emission-intensive processes. According to the MIT Technology Review, training just one AI model can produce as much CO2 as five regular cars will in their entire operating lifetime. Additionally, the physical hardware used to develop and run AI models has environmental consequences. Rare-earth mining pits, used in the construction of the best graphics cards and other AI-specific hardware, can have devastating ecological impacts.
Despite this, AI could be a solution to our current environmental crisis. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has developed an AI-powered ‘World Environment Situation Room’. The Situation Room uses AI to expedite environmental monitoring tasks, such as tracking methane emissions and air quality around the world. AI technology has been used to reduce emissions on both a large and small scale. For instance, AI can be used to monitor global emissions or to control individual household energy use.
It’s difficult to source reliable electricity from renewable sources, which has led energy companies to continue burning fossil fuels. This is particularly concerning as AI usage increases. However, AI could potentially combat this environmental issue. AI can be used to track and reduce emissions, making it an essential tool for preventing a climate disaster.
While AI does have its advantages, we still need to acknowledge the environmental impact of AI usage. It’s essential that businesses and individuals take steps to reduce their AI usage and implement AI tools that help solve our environmental crisis. We can’t rely on chatbots like ChatGPT to save the planet, but we can harness AI technology for environmentally conscious purposes.
