UN Report Warns AI Could Consume 3% of Global Electricity and Deplete More Water Than Humanity Drinks by 2030
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The Conversation
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Summary
A new UN report warns that AI's environmental costs are rising sharply, estimating that by 2030 AI could consume 3% of global electricity, produce emissions equivalent to the UK, and use more water for cooling than the annual drinking water needs of the entire global population. The report challenges the argument that future AI efficiency gains will reduce resource consumption, calling this thinking a "trap."
Key quotes
· 3 pulledOne argument often used to quell concerns about the rising energy and resource demand of data centers is that artificial intelligence (AI) models will need less in the future as they improve and become more efficient.
But this seemingly logical thinking is a trap, according to a new United Nations report that quantifies the environmental costs of AI.
The report estimates that by 2030, AI's energy use could double to consume 3% of the world's electricity, produce emissions to equal the UK and deplete more water for cooling than the annual drinking water need of the global population.
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