AI environmental impact | What the Tech? – KOB.com

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (WHAT THE TECH?) — Many of us use ChatGPT or another AI model to help with tasks, plan vacations or create images but that convenience has an environmental impact.
Researchers say training a single large language model, like ChatGPT, can use as much electricity as 100 homes use in a year.
Sound made up? It’s not – and it’s not just electricity.
Data centers generate heat and keeping that equipment cool requires a lot of water.
“When it’s being trained, what’s happening is it’s a huge amount of data that’s going in to make it what it is that you interact with,” AI strategist Keyona Meeks said.
After training, every interaction still requires energy. Meeks compares it to tiny sparks, multiplied by millions of users, with most of the power coming from fossil fuels.
“AI’s environmental impact, as we are positioned right now, will be… I don’t want to say cataclysmic but it isn’t intellectually dishonest to say that word,” Meeks said.
According to a study done by the University of California, a chatbot can use a half a liter of fresh water to cool the servers every time you ask it a question. One prompt uses as much energy as powering a lightbulb for a few minutes.
Even ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman recommends avoid saying “Thank you” to save resources.
Environmentalists are urging AI developers to rely on more renewable energy. Still, as AI gets smarter, its resource demands are only going up.
For more “What the Tech?” stories, click here.
Any person with disabilities who needs help accessing the content of the FCC Public File may contact KOB via our online form
or call 505-243-4411.
This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
© KOB-TV, LLC
A Hubbard Broadcasting Company

source