As one of my professors reviewed the syllabus on the first day of class, he stopped to explain the department’s policy on using Artificial Intelligence and Chat GPT, a popular AI platform. He, of course, pointed out the impacts of plagiarism and AI on education, but he also emphasized how AI is extremely harmful to the environment. This argument against AI was not one I had heard of before, and when I brought it up to my friends, it was unfamiliar to them, too. Amid a climate crisis, it is important to understand how our everyday actions can have large consequences for our world.
In the National Artificial Intelligence Act of 2020, the US Department of State defined AI as “a machine-based system that can, for a given set of human-defined objectives, make predictions, recommendations or decisions influencing real or virtual environments.” According to some experts, AI helps address environmental challenges, while others argue that the use of AI poses a danger to the environment.
One way that AI can help to address environmental concerns is through AI forecasting. According to Jim Bellingham, director of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Assured Autonomy, “Using AI to factor in elements of climate change that are constantly evolving helps us make more informed predictions about changes in the environment so that we can deploy mitigation efforts earlier.” Technology similar to facial recognition can predict melting permafrost so residents can get out of dangerous areas quickly. Likewise, the US Department of Agriculture uses the same technology in soybean fields to provide real-time evaluations of the field’s conditions, such as where fertilizer is needed, to ensure food supply and reduce carbon emissions. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has created its own AI technology, called the World Environment Situation Room (WESR), to monitor various aspects of the environment, such as air quality and sea levels. University of Pennsylvania Professor of Law and Political Science Cary Coglianese states, “We’re entering an era where we have to do better, and more, with less. If AI can be deployed responsibly, it can be used to help in solving a host of society’s problems and concerns.”
While AI could help to tackle certain environmental concerns, it also feeds into the ongoing climate crisis. AI requires exceptional use of water and energy to work properly. Billions of gallons of water get used to generate electricity and cool down AI data centers. Chat GPT leads AI technology in water usage. According to a study conducted at the University of California Riverside, For every 10-15 queries on Chat GPT, 500 milliliters of water is used. This is equivalent to one plastic water bottle full of water.
Similarly, the process of perfecting the Chat GPT-4 technology used about 11.5 million gallons of water, 6% of the district’s water supply. According to Des Moines Water Works in Iowa, the city’s government “‘will only consider future data center projects from Microsoft if those projects can ‘demonstrate and implement technology to significantly reduce peak water usage from the current levels.’” Water is the world’s most scarce natural resource; two-thirds of the world’s population experiences water shortages. Although AI could help contribute to resolving the climate crisis, it also exacerbates it.
Artificial Intelligence uses massive amounts of energy. In places where water is scarce, data centers use energy to generate power. Currently, data centers in the US use 4% of the country’s total energy, but by the end of the decade, it could reach as high as 8%. Chat GPT’s current power usage is equal to that of 180,000 US households, one quick search is equivalent to leaving 14 LED light bulbs on for one hour. According to Sajjad Moazeni, a professor at the University of Washington, the energy consumption of data centers will only continue to grow as units become larger and AI becomes more widely used.
Many AI companies have made unfulfilled claims to reduce sustainability. In fact, many companies’ carbon footprints continue to rise. One spokesperson for Google said, “Google has a long-standing commitment to sustainability, guided by our ambitious goals—which includes achieving net-zero emissions by 2030.” Despite the vow of sustainability, Google’s carbon footprint has risen by 48% in the last five years.
The US government is taking some steps to help reduce the environmental consequences of AI. In February of 2024, several senators proposed the AI Environmental Impacts Act, which would set clear standards and reporting guidelines to measure AI’s impact on the environment. Massachusetts Senator Edward Markey reflected, “There is a Dickensian quality to the use of AI when it comes to our environment: It can make our planet better, and it can make our planet worse,” and that “the development of the next generation of AI tools cannot come at the expense of the health of our planet.”
While AI could pose a hopeful new resource to mitigate global warming, it ultimately plays an equal role in exacerbating the climate crisis. Is the use of AI truly worth the health of our planet? As AI continues to grow, so will its environmental consequences. AI developers and large tech companies need to find a more eco-conscious and holistic way to design their programs that take the environment into account. Likewise, stricter regulations on AI resource use would help to lower some of the environmental costs of the programs. Unless AI developers adapt their technology, AI will continue to play a concerning role in the future of our planet.
International Studies major with a passion for gossip and chai lattes.
