The Hidden Environmental Impact of AI

The Hidden Environmental Impact of AI

by | Content Creation

The Hidden Environmental Impact of AI

As we discover more opportunities in AI, we also face challenges. In this article, I share more insights about AI and its impact on the environment to help you stay informed in this ever-expanding AI world. I have followed this issue since AI became widely accessible to the public. 

When you think of using Artificial Intelligence, you would not think of the environment because it is technology-related. On the other hand, you have to think further and find out that you need computers to run AI queries and train large language models. These computers are massive and are in data centers. 

So why is this an issue for the environment? 

Image with robot mask surrounded by smoke symbolizing how training ai models increases greenhouse gas emissions.

Training AI Models Increases Greenhouse Gas Emissions

High use of electricity is made by big data centers that house large computers to run AI models.

Generative AI and queries in various AI search engines use a huge amount of electricity. In a Snopes article, it was laid out how AI impacts an increase in fossil fuel emissions and pollutants. Training AI models uses large data centers that house large computers. 

To give you a better idea of this environmental impact, Snopes mentioned two studies using ChatGPT that increase these emissions. The first one mentioned that writing a 100-250 word email in GPT produces about a quarter to half a pound of carbon emissions. The second one laid out that a single GPT query uses 10 times more electrical energy than a regular Google search. 

Graphic showing a workflow on how data centers are cooled, symbolizing how AI queries use large amounts of fresh water.

AI Queries Use Large Amounts of Fresh Water

Additionally, in using more electrical energy, generative AI and AI queries use huge amounts of fresh water to cool large computers that are housed in data centers. Now, imagine how that use is multiplied because there are a lot of these centers.

In a study on the water footprint of AI models, they explained how large amounts of clean fresh water can just evaporate. So you can better understand how much water is consumed by AI, the above-mentioned article in Snopes has explained that writing an up to 200-word email in GPT consumes about 3 liters of water, and generating 10-50 responses in GPT ‘drinks’ roughly a 500 ml water bottle. 

What is even further disturbing is that massive amounts of data centers are being built on the continent of Africa, where water scarcity already exists, and this poses critical challenges for the future of these regions.

Graphic of a robot holding an AI sign next to stop signs illustrating to stop using AI or reduce the use of AI.

Reduce the Use of AI or Stop Using AI Altogether?

After reflecting on this, one might question whether to continue using AI, reduce its usage, or completely stop using it. These are the thoughts that are running through my mind. I use ChatGPT minimally, around 2 hours a week for some of my writing projects. However, this still has a considerable impact, especially since many others are also using AI. When you multiply that by millions of users, the overall effect on our environment is already significant.

While I have my reservations, I recognize the significant advantages AI can bring to some industries, especially the healthcare sector. Using AI as a tool to help with research can be instrumental in finding more treatments for various diseases, where we don’t have any cures yet. 

Nevertheless, making AI available to the public presented tremendous challenges and a huge environmental impact. To reduce my impact, I will limit using AI each week; this continues to encourage independent thinking. Additionally, I will continue using regular search engines (ie, Bing, Google, etc.) for my research and minimize AI search engines.

As we navigate a world driven by AI technology that creates environmental and ethical challenges, it is important to stay informed and open-minded. I encourage you to share your insights, experiences, or concerns regarding AI usage in the comments section below.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss your online presence, click on the following link to schedule a meeting with me.

Encountering AI Copyright and AI Ethical Issues

Encountering AI Copyright and AI Ethical Issues

by | Content Creation

Encountering AI Copyright and AI Ethical Issues

With Artificial Intelligence (AI) becoming more ubiquitous, I am inclined to write about this topic more often. I will touch on various issues about why or why AI is not a good tool, how it affects search engines, and more. For this article, I have not used AI to write this, except Grammarly to check grammar. I want to limit AI so I can think independently and express my unique voice and style. 

In this piece, I focused on ethical and copyright issues and outlined a few sections that highlight issues when using AI tools and my opinions.

Image of blocks with the words AI writing showing how AI ethical issues arise with using it to write content.

Creative Writing with AI

Writing with AI using its tools as support to get ideas for topics or editing is a good way to enhance your creative writing. Furthermore, you don’t have to disclose to the reader that you used AI because AI was only used sparingly. If your content is mostly AI created, you have to disclose it to your reader; more about this in the next section. When I write, I sometimes use ChatGPT or Gemini to brainstorm ideas for topics or help me with making a phrase clearer. When I am in the editing phase, I use Grammarly to make sure grammar and punctuation are correct.

Ethical Use of AI Generated Images

When you use AI-generated images, remember you may be using someone’s art without permission. Due to unauthorized use, there have already been several cases filed to resolve copyright infringements.   

There are some exceptions when you use software that uses licensed images for training data (e.g., Adobe Firefly). When I use images, I use my Adobe Stock account and I filter out all AI-generated art so I get images created by actual artists.

Image of a computer screen with a cityscape created by AI instead of designed by a person.

Navigating AI Driven Content Creation

In some cases, there is AI-driven content creation where you can train AI models to create new work using your own words and style. However, you must disclose this to the reader since AI contributes significantly to that work. It is important to remember that using any AI models relies on Large Language Models (LLMs) that were developed by copying content from the internet without permission.

As the integration of AI continues to evolve, it becomes increasingly crucial to navigate the ethical and copyright challenges it presents. By leveraging AI as a supportive tool for brainstorming and editing while being mindful of its limitations and potential issues, we can enrich our creative processes without compromising our artistic integrity. Remember, vigilance is key when utilizing AI-generated content and images, and always strive to uphold transparency with your audience. Whenever searching online or using an AI search engine, remain vigilant about the results because AI hallucination (i.e., nonsensical or inaccurate information) is still a problem. Therefore, fact-check anything generated by an AI model.

If you have any questions, send me a message by submitting my contact form or schedule an online meeting with me.

I invite you to share your thoughts and experiences regarding AI usage here in the comments section below.

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