We get it. AI is cool. It writes poems, drives cars, recommends the perfect Netflix show so you can waste five more hours of your life in comfort. But here’s the inconvenient truth: all that magic comes with a real-world cost—one that’s heating the planet.
Simply put, AI is that friend who leaves all the lights on, turns the air-con down to 16°C, and then lectures you about climate change. Hypocrite much?
AI Leaves Behind A Large Carbon Footprint
You see, training AI models doesn’t just happen. They need a HUGE amount of computing power. Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst found that training a single large model (like the GPT-2) can generate over 284 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. That’s the same as driving five brand new American cars until the end of their lifespan.
Now imagine today’s even bigger models like GPT-4o. Even bigger, even hungrier. No official numbers for the latest ones (because tech companies love their secrets), but industry experts agree the carbon footprint has likely grown.
Then There are the Power Hungry Data Centers
Every time you ask AI to write a joke, summarise an article, or “Draw me a cat as Batman”, it taps into data centers running 24/7, generating heat like nobody’s business. That’s why they eat up crazy amounts of electricity and need powerful cooling systems.
According to the International Energy Agency, these data centers account for 1–2% of global electricity consumption. With demand for AI use rapidly rising, you can guess how that’s going to go. Plus, because they’re super hot, cooling systems suck up even more energy to keep those servers from melting down.
AI Needs Water to Survive, Just Like Us
Here’s a not-so-fun surprise. AI isn’t just thirsty for power—it’s literally thirsty. Data centers often rely on cooling towers that evaporate water to keep systems from overheating. A 2023 research revealed that a large model can consume millions of liters of water during training.
In 2022, Microsoft’s water use spiked 34% in a year, largely because of its AI investments. So yes, your chatbot might be draining more water than your entire neighbourhood. It doesn’t help that experts from the University of California, Riverside found that ChatGPT uses 4 times more water than we previously thought. Crazy!
So, Is AI Doomed to Kill the Planet?
Not necessarily. Awareness is growing, and some companies are trying to do better by using greener energy, improving cooling technology, and being more transparent about carbon footprints.
And as users, we have a say too. Do you really need to ask your AI assistant to tell you a joke for the 20th time today? Okay, but maybe you do, life is hard. But you get the point.
So What Can You Do?
- Support companies with real sustainability commitments that disclose and reduce their carbon emissions
- Prompt mindfully, just like you wouldn’t leave the tap running for fun
- Stay informed and talk about it (nagging works sometimes!)
Because at the end of the day, AI isn’t evil; it’s a tool. But if we don’t think about its environmental impact now, we’ll be stuck with a problem even Gemini can’t solve for us later.
Think before you prompt, folks. The planet will thank you.
P.S. The header image is my artwork, created as part of my Digital Perceptual Imaging class. It perfectly captured the essence of this blog post, so I figured why not use it instead of the usual Stock photos.