ChatGPT-3 has generated much interest since its launch at the end of 2022 due to its impressive performance and its ability to produce various kinds of text for multiple daily uses. For example, some internet users even use it to write cover letters or best man speeches for weddings! But, this revolutionary technology also has an ecological cost that should not be ignored. Calculations from the French application and platform Greenly account for the ChatGPT-3’s potential carbon footprint as equating to around 240 tonnes of CO2e—which is the equivalent of 136 return flights between Paris and New York.
Greenly experts explain that the majority of the GPT-3 version’s energy consumption comes from its data centers, with operating electricity accounting for three quarters of the total 240 tonnes C02e. Additionally, server manufacturing consists of 68.9 tCO2e, refrigerant gas leakage follows at 9.6 tCO2e and data storage, data transfer and search processes account for the remaining two tonnes. This carbon footprint is estimated based on the use of ChatGPT to automatically send one million emails per month over the course of the year.
Greenly is a French company that provides real-time emission tracking services for businesses looking to reduce their ecological footprint. The company’s climate expert, Tommy Catherine, has stressed the importance of carefully considering the environmental cost of technological advances, such as ChatGPT, despite their innovative and efficient properties.
Catherine is a prominent ecological innovator who has dedicated himself to finding solutions for our planet’s climate crisis. His recent expertise in estimating the carbon footprint of ChatGPT shows his commitment to helping society understand the cost of our technological advances and find better sustainable alternatives. Catherine’s research has provided an important reminder that, despite the advantages of scientific innovations, their effects must also be taken into consideration.
