How often do you use generative AI websites, like ChatGPT, for things regarding homework, a professional email you need to send to your boss, or even a new recipe? It’s certainly no secret that generative AI is a technological wonder within the modern era. Giving users the ability to generate photos, funny videos, and answers to questions you would normally have to search the internet for at the tip of their fingers. On the surface, it seems as though this advancement is merely a quick, harmless tool to mess around with for our enjoyment. However, many don’t know just how detrimental it is to the planet we call home.
In August 2024, a survey by a Real-Time Population Survey revealed that 44.6% of the population ages 18 to 64 have used generative AI at some point. Almost 1 in 3 people who responded admitted to using it daily or at least once a week. These statistics have only continued to rise since then, with the percentage rising from 44.6% to 54.6%. But why exactly does this matter? Why would these statistics be concerning?
Well, what if I told you that one question submitted to ChatGPT is the equivalent of leaving a lightbulb on for 20 minutes? Or that simply training a single AI model takes up the amount of energy equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of 120 American households? More than that, there is also major concern when it comes to their carbon emissions and water usage.
Generating a response from ChatGPT is estimated to use around 10 times the amount of energy as a google search; the equivalent of the amount of energy it takes to keep a lightbulb on for 20 minutes. With the amount of people that use chatGPT per day, this adds up to quite the amount. As of 2024, ChatGPT uses over 500,000 kilowatts of electricity every day, as much as used by 180,000 U.S. households.
The issue is, in the US, a majority of our energy comes from fossil fuels like coal and gas–which are known to be massive contributors to climate change due to their carbon emissions. As AI progresses, the demand for energy to fuel it increases exponentially. In 2024, it was predicted that the 4% of global energy use for these data centers would more than double by 2030. In order to match this need, we would have to burn more fossil fuels, resulting in a potential skyrocket in carbon dioxide emissions.
If that wasn’t convincing enough, there are also issues with the sheer amount of water it takes to cool these data centers down. Large data centers can use up to 5 million gallons of fresh water per day(about 1.8 billion annually), which is near the same amount of water used in a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people. The cumulative 5,426 data centers in the nation alone consume 449 million gallons of water per day, and 167.3 billion gallons of water annually–just as of 2021.
Many people don’t understand just how badly something like this affects both our environment and us by default. It can be easy to detach oneself from the things we see online about climate change because on the surface level, humans don’t seem to be impacted much at all. However, digging a little deeper, we can see how that just isn’t true. You see, global warming affects many aspects of our environment, including but not limited to: Air pollution, rising sea levels, reduced food production, water scarcity, and extreme weather events. As a result, climate change causes an increase in injury from extreme weather events, heat-related illness, respiratory illness, water-borne diseases, malnutrition, food-borne diseases, and even lower mental health. Humans are directly threatened by this crisis, whether that is immediately visible or not.
It’s also no secret that so many communities near data centers are impacted negatively by water consumption. Only 3% of Earth consists of fresh water, and from that 3% only a measly 0.5% is actually safe for humans to drink. Data centers near towns directly compete with local water usage, causing a depletion of water for sanitation, agriculture, and drinking in addition to increased utility costs. This can be especially problematic in areas where drought is common.
So, while you may be thankful that AI can do your homework, write your essays, and make silly videos with the click of a button, take a moment to think about the impact you’re making on the Earth. We only have one home planet, why waste it?
