Using AI contributes to the destruction of our planet. It’s a bold statement, but is it that short of the truth?
An easily accessible system marketed to “make life easier,” actually makes it harder for those already struggling. Aside from being a capitalist paradise, laying off our family and friends, AI is also drinking our water.
How does AI drink our water?
While AI isn’t capable of “drinking” water — yet, data centers use substantial amounts of water to preserve the accuracy of their programs. The densely packed data servers constant use of electricity emits lots of heat. To maintain conventional temperatures, cooling systems are installed. These industrial-scale cooling systems circulate water around the servers to prevent overheating, ultimately avoiding malfunction, and data corruption.
One question asked to AI can use up to 16 ounces of water. Asking Chat GPT one question may use up to 10 times the electricity needed for one Google search. If each student at Oakmont asked AI one question, it would use approximately 10,128 ounces of water. While this may not seem like a lot on the surface, studies have shown that Chat GPT can use around 660 gallons of water per minute. That’s 950,400 gallons of water daily consumed by just one of the many websites that utilize AI.
The growth of AI has spread like wildfire in the last decade, and so has the rise of actual wildfires — climate change being the connecting factor. The dry landscapes that cover much of the South and West are easily ignitable, and the lack of humidity in the air makes fires nearly impossible to put out. These fires not only leave victims homeless and traumatized, but also leave them lacking basic resources, such as fresh water. According to Drought.Gov, 31.87% of The United States and Puerto Rico are facing a drought. With the United States being the leading country when it comes to AI usage, this is no shock.
When it comes to preserving resources as vital as clean water, we need to prioritize things that matter. The real question is, why do we value giving water to machines over giving water to living, breathing, dying people? Accessing fresh water should be as easy as accessing Chat GPT.
