AI: Is It Ruining the Environment?

Hi. I'm Rose Rimmler. I'm filling in for Wendy Zuckerman, and this is Science Versus. This is the show that pits facts against filling the world with AI data centers. Today on the show, AI and the environment. Lately, we've been hearing a lot about how power hungry AI is. AI uses a ton of electricity. Straining the nation's aging power grid and creating more planet warming emissions. And how thirsty it is. The amount of water that AI uses is astonishing. Asking ChatGPT to write one email is the equivalent of pouring out an entire water bottle. One bottle of water. Let that sink in. Let that sink in. And the major culprit here is the data centers, warehouses full of computer servers that AI needs to function. And tech companies are trying to build more of these data centers, but people who live nearby are protesting them, often saying that they're gonna compete for their electricity and use up their water. We do not want a data center built in Saint Charles cities. Because of all this, around some corners of the Internet, using AI has become kind of a faux pas, especially if you use it for something silly. You are actively contributing to global warming and climate change, all because you wanna Photoshop Chris Brown into your picture. So next time you use AI to generate an image for a meme, think about the impact on the environment first. Stop ruining your planet for a fucking Instagram post. But on the flip side, you've got people pushing back against this idea. They say that these reports are skewed or misleading, and that the impact of AI on the environment isn't nearly as bad as a bunch of other stuff we're already doing, like eating meat or taking international flights. In fact, recently, some of the big AI companies have said that their products only use a tiny bit of power and a few drops of water for each prompt. So what's really going on here? Is AI actually ruining the planet, or have the bots been framed? Because when it comes to AI and the environment, there's a lot of Stop ruining your planet for a fucking Instagram post. But then there's science. And that's coming up after the break. And full disclosure, some AI companies do advertise on Science Versus. This episode is brought to you by ServiceNow. AI is only as powerful as a platform it's built into. That's why it's no surprise that more than 85% of the Fortune 500 use the ServiceNow AI platform. While other platforms duct tape tools together, ServiceNow seamlessly unifies people, data, workflows, and AI connecting every corner of your business. And with AI agents working together autonomously, anyone in any department can focus on the work that matters most. Learn how ServiceNow puts AI to work for people at servicenow.com. This episode is brought to you by Ford BlueCruise. It's not just where you're going, it's how …