How Everyday People Can Limit AI's Environmental Impact
AI could consume 3% of global electricity by 2030. A UN report explains the scale of the problem and what individuals can do.
Energy used to power artificial intelligence (AI) could jump to 3% of global electricity demand by 2030, guzzling as much water as the 1.3 billion people in sub-Saharan Africa consume in one year to meet their domestic water needs.
Those are the conclusions of a recent United Nations report that estimated the land use, water consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions associated with AI’s breakneck expansion. If the data centers that underpin AI formed a country, they would rank 11th in the world for energy use due to their high infrastructure and electricity needs to train ever more complicated models and satisfy users, the report found.