"Generating an image with AI takes as much energy as fully charging your smartphone." - Sasha Luccioni, computer scientist specializing in the intersection of artificial intelligence and climate change
Hidden cost of intelligence
The expansion of AI brings environmental challenges that often go unnoticed. While aiding sectors like healthcare, the technology industry contributes significantly to global greenhouse gas emissions. Training a single model can produce 300,000 kilograms of carbon, creating a massive footprint.
Resource consumption beyond energy
Energy is not the only concern for the planet. Data centres housing ai servers consume vast amounts of water for cooling. By 2027, these facilities could utilize billions of cubic meters of water, potentially causing local water scarcity in many regions already facing climate stress.
Need for measuring standards
India needs clear standards to assess the impact of ai accurately. Involving tech companies and organisations helps build a consensus on indicators like energy use and resource consumption. This ensures policy decisions are based on authentic and consistent data.
Integrating disclosure standards
The government could make environmental impact reports mandatory for AI developers. By integrating these into existing governance frameworks, India can follow international examples like those in the European Union. This includes disclosing emissions from data centres and high compute activities like model training.
Moving toward sustainable practices
Adopting green practices like using renewable energy for data centres is vital for progress. Deploying pre-trained models also helps reduce redundant energy expenditure during development. India must balance technological progress with environmental protection to ensure that innovation remains sustainable for everyone.
Excellent posts on AI and environment; click here to read
Summary
Ai technology carries a heavy environmental price through high energy consumption and significant water usage. India must implement measuring standards and mandatory disclosure rules similar to global frameworks. By focusing on sustainable development and renewable energy, the nation can mitigate the ecological footprint of technology.
Food for thought
Should we limit the frequency of non-essential queries if each interaction carries a measurable and permanent cost for the environment?
AI concept to learn: Large Language Models (LLMs)
These are systems trained on massive text data to understand and generate human language. They power chatbots by predicting word sequences through complex mathematical patterns. While capable, training them requires immense computational power and energy resources.
[The Billion Hopes Research Team shares the latest AI updates for learning and awareness. Various sources are used. All copyrights acknowledged. This is not a professional, financial, personal or medical advice. Please consult domain experts before making decisions. Feedback welcome!]
