Concerns exist about AI's substantial energy consumption, with examples highlighting increased energy use in search queries and greenhouse gas emissions from companies like Google and Microsoft. However, the article argues that the overall energy impact may be less severe than perceived.
The main argument centers on AI's potential to significantly aid in the decarbonization of several hard-to-clean industries. This suggests that the benefits of using AI to reduce carbon emissions potentially outweigh its current energy costs.
Even if you don’t worry that artificial intelligence (AI) will destroy the human race, you might fret that its fearsome appetite for electricity will destroy the environment. Asking ChatGPT a question means using ten times more energy than an old-fashioned search query. Google’s greenhouse-gas emissions rose by nearly half between 2019 and 2023, as the AI boom took off; Microsoft’s are up by almost 30% since 2020. With huge investments in new data centres planned, more rises seem baked in. But the doom-mongering is misplaced. In absolute terms, AI may be less energy-hungry than many people assume. Better still, AI can help decarbonise the industries that have proved hardest to clean up.
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