Hot days, the hidden costs of AI and UK jailing climate activists

What were you up to on July 21 and 22?

Well, you may have noticed but it was quite hot... actually, in those days we experienced the highest average temperatures ever recorded on Earth.

And believe me, I really FELT IT ??

So on that note, this week I got some hot topics for you:

?? The unbearable environmental (and social?) costs of AI;
?? The cost of speaking out, or, climate activist jailed in UK
?? Book suggestion for your summer :)        

The hidden costs of AI: let's talk about it ??

It's impossible to scroll through your feed without encountering AI. It’s literally everywhere, becoming an integral part of our daily digital interactions (I’m including myself here—some AI tools really are a big help sometimes).

However, the environmental costs associated with AI are substantial and often overlooked. It's high time we talk about it.

AI guzzles down an unbelievable amount of energy and water.

Training a big AI model (like LLMs), sucks up thousands of megawatt hours of electricity.

That’s enough to light up a small city.

Plus, it pumps out tons of carbon emissions.

And there’s water usage, too– these data centers need to stay cool, which means a lot of water evaporates into thin air. We're talking major stress on our already limited freshwater resources.

Generative AI applications are 100 to 1000 times more demanding than your average Google search or email.

While a single Google search uses about half a milliliter of water, ChatGPT consumes about half a liter of water per couple dozen prompts.

Now multiply that by its 180 million users.

No wonder Google has ditched its carbon-neutral claims, and Microsoft is pausing its sustainability goals to keep up in the AI race.

The bigger the AI, the more juice it needs.

The energy consumption of data centers is estimated to potentially double by 2026.

We're talking about water withdrawals of 4.2 to 6.6 billion cubic meters by 2027.

Right now, about two-thirds of the world's population deals with severe water shortages for at least one month each year. By 2030, nearly half the planet could be facing serious water stress.

So, my question here is...Are we going to run out of water or prompts?

But we are not just talking about environmental sustainability here.

As we strive to develop environmentally responsible AI, it is crucial not to focus solely on measurable metrics like total carbon emissions and water consumption. We must also consider equity in the process.

Take Google, for example. Their data center in Finland runs on 97% carbon-free energy, which is awesome. But in Asia? That number drops to a sad 4-18%. (look at figure 18, p.44 or their 2023 Environmental Report).

Let's not oversee how AI has uneven impacts across different regions.

The cost of speaking out

Recently in the UK, five climate activists from Just Stop Oil were sentenced to up to five years in prison for planning a peaceful protest to draw attention to the urgent need for climate action.

They were convicted of conspiring to cause a public nuisance by planning to block a major highway. These are the harshest sentences ever for peaceful protests.

Meanwhile, the big polluters get away with it. OK.

As one protester put it:

"We’re giving a free hand to the polluting elite robbing us of a habitable planet while jailing those who’re trying to stop them – it makes no sense."

Couldn't have said it better myself.

Last Week’s Book Suggestion: Oops!

I forgot to suggest a great read last week, whoopsie ??

So I'm making it up to you this week with a classic, more a report than a book, but believe me when I say it's worth it:

The Limits to Growth

?? PS. It's available to be read FREE here ??

A quote by Donella Meadows, one of the authors:

“Speak the truth. Speak it loud and often, calmly but insistently, and speak it to power.

Material accumulation is not the purpose of human existence.

All growth is not good.

The environment is a necessity, not a luxury.

There is such a thing as enough.”

That's all for this week!

What are your thoughts? let me know :)

See you,

Nadia