While bitcoin’s effect on the environment has been widely discussed over the past two years, the latest trend in artificial intelligence (AI) software is now coming under fire for its carbon footprint. According to several headlines and academic articles this year, AI consumes a significant amount of electricity and harnesses vast amounts of water to cool data centers.
Reports insist that AI and Chatgpt consume a ton of electricity and water
In recent times, environmentalists have targeted various technologies, and over the past 24 months, a lot of attention has been focused on bitcoin mining. Now the insatiable drive to reduce carbon footprints is targeting the artificial intelligence (AI) trend that has taken the world by storm. There is no doubt that AI has been wildly popular in 2023, with Openai’s Chatgpt program and others releasing innovative new software. However, various articles and academic papers claim that AI consumes a large amount of energy and has a significant carbon footprint.
according to a report published by Bloomberg, “AI uses more power than other forms of computing.” The article employs a tactic used by members of the media to make it appear that machines are taking power from humans. “Training a single (AI) model can consume more electricity than 100 US homes use in an entire year,” insist Bloomberg authors Josh Saul and Dina Bass. The report further notes that while researchers have estimated a total Regarding the amount of energy required to create an AI model, there is no general estimate of the total amount of energy the technology uses.
Meanwhile, a academic article Posted by students at the University of Colorado Riverside and the University of Texas Arlington claims that Chatgpt not only uses a lot of electricity, but also uses water to cool data centers. The document cites that tech giant Microsoft uses so much water to cool its artificial intelligence facilities in the United States that it could be used for “370 BMW cars or 320 Tesla electric vehicles.” The document further states that training the GPT-3 model consumed 185,000 gallons of water.
Mark Labbe, author of techtarget.com, insists that “data centers and large AI models use massive amounts of energy and are harmful to the environment.” Other article from numenta.com also insists that AI is “harming” the planet, with the author stating that the trend could accelerate the climate crisis if left unaddressed. Not everyone agrees with the alarming studies and headlines, as many believe the so-called climate crisis is a lie. for example, a report published by the Gatestone Institute claims that climate alarmism is harmful to the West.
“Future generations will judge us harshly for allowing extremist environmental activism to weaken us in the West,” explains Drieu Godefridi, a Gatestone Institute author. Meteorologist John Shewchuk insists that climate alarmism is a scam. “Climate scam scaremongering is no substitute for data,” Shewchuk tweeted on April 16. “Our primate ancestors evolved when temperatures were about 20 degrees F warmer than today, and there were no polar caps. The land is now relatively very cold and is getting climatologically colder.”
From Bitcoin to AI to Rice Farming: Climate Activists Insist Science Is Settled
Furthermore, climate alarmists aren’t just going after bitcoin mining and artificial intelligence. A recent Agence France-Presse (AFP) report is being criticized for blaming rice cultivation for significant CO2 emissions. “Scientists say that if the world wants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, rice cannot be ignored” AFP report says. The AFP tweet on Sunday was criticized by several people for reporting that rice cultivation generates CO2 emissions. “What cannot be ignored is the FACT that rice is literally the main food source for billions of people,” said one person. answered to the AFP Twitter account. “Eliminating rice would starve millions of people to death… and some people like you (AFP) are good at it.”
The US representative for Kentucky’s 4th congressional district, Thomas Massie, also criticized the AFP video tweet. “The fact that climate alarm clocks go after rice shows you how illogical they are,” Massie saying. “Mature forests release large amounts of methane. Ponds and lakes release methane. Decaying organic matter in the absence of oxygen (or in the guts of herbivores and termites) releases methane,” he added. The truth is that people now think that subjective assessments and arbitrary opinions of what is good for the planet and what is not, should be investigated and regulated.
While bitcoin provides economic freedom as a censorship-resistant currency, some argue that it must also address climate change concerns. Like bitcoin, the environmental impact of artificial intelligence and rice farming has also come under scrutiny. While many follow the rules and regulations set forth by climate change experts and bureaucrats, others argue contrary opinions and argue that science is not resolved.
What do you think about the environmental impact of AI models and how does it compare with the criticism against bitcoin mining? Share your thoughts on this topic in the comments section below.
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