The ugly truth behind ChatGPT: AI is guzzling resources at planet-eating rates | Mariana Mazzucato
www.theguardian.com
Big tech is playing its part in reaching net zero targets, but its vast new datacentres are run at huge cost to the environment, says economics professor Mariana Mazzucato

Despite its name, the infrastructure used by the “cloud” accounts for more global greenhouse emissions than commercial flights. In 2018, for instance, the 5bn YouTube hits for the viral song Despacito used the same amount of energy it would take to heat 40,000 US homes annually.

Large language models such as ChatGPT are some of the most energy-guzzling technologies of all. Research suggests, for instance, that about 700,000 litres of water could have been used to cool the machines that trained ChatGPT-3 at Microsoft’s data facilities.

Additionally, as these companies aim to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels, they may opt to base their datacentres in regions with cheaper electricity, such as the southern US, potentially exacerbating water consumption issues in drier parts of the world.

Furthermore, while minerals such as lithium and cobalt are most commonly associated with batteries in the motor sector, they are also crucial for the batteries used in datacentres. The extraction process often involves significant water usage and can lead to pollution, undermining water security. The extraction of these minerals are also often linked to human rights violations and poor labour standards. Trying to achieve one climate goal of limiting our dependence on fossil fuels can compromise another goal, of ensuring everyone has a safe and accessible water supply.

Moreover, when significant energy resources are allocated to tech-related endeavours, it can lead to energy shortages for essential needs such as residential power supply. Recent data from the UK shows that the country’s outdated electricity network is holding back affordable housing projects.

In other words, policy needs to be designed not to pick sectors or technologies as “winners”, but to pick the willing by providing support that is conditional on companies moving in the right direction. Making disclosure of environmental practices and impacts a condition for government support could ensure greater transparency and accountability.

      • Balder@lemmy.worldEnglish
        14·
        7 months ago

        AI evangelists act like it’s already perfect and anybody who dares question the church of LLM is declared a Luddite.

        I don’t think that’s the case, though. The only people I see actively “evangelizing” LLMs are either companies looking for investors or “influencers” looking for attention by tapping on people’s insecurities.

        Most people just either find it useful for some specific use cases or just don’t care. And a large part actually hate on it.

        • FiniteBanjo@lemmy.todayEnglish
          4·
          7 months ago

          You’re doing it right now. You’re criticizing that user for saying it’s okay to talk about AI’s failures. You’re the example, evangelizing and shilling. My advice: STFU.

          • Balder@lemmy.worldEnglish
            2·
            7 months ago

            You’re doing it right now. You’re criticizing that user for saying it’s okay to talk about AI’s failures. You’re the example, evangelizing and shilling. My advice: STFU.

            It seems like you missed the memo on reading comprehension. I literally quoted the exact part I’m criticizing, which clearly isn’t what you claimed.

            And being overly emotional and telling people to STFU online? That’s a masterclass in civility right there.

            • FiniteBanjo@lemmy.todayEnglish
              1·
              7 months ago

              Ohmahgosh you’re so right, I see it now, you telling them they were wrong to criticize AI was in fact the correct take all along. You’ve shown me the way, All Hail AI. ALL HAIL AI.

              What a fucking shill.

    • LainTrain@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
      9·
      7 months ago

      That’s wrong, I buy drugs online with cryptocurrencies all the time to this day and have done it long before the normies showed up and turned it into a mostly financial scam.

      Evading the man and LEOs when the law ain’t right is my god-given right and I’m thankful to be born in the age of onions and crypto.

        • LainTrain@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
          5·
          7 months ago

          Good, I hate cryptobros and aibros and artbros and luddites and industrialists and environmentalists, but I love communal living, hate cities, love AI (and AI art), love art (and craft of said art), love nature & the environment and animals, hate vegans, and love science and industry etc.

          At this point I have such an ultra-niche hyper-specific take on this (and almost everything) that I feel completely out of touch with most people which seem at first glance to navigate mostly by vibes and emotions of how they feel about a vague aesthetic sense of modernity that day.

        • AIhasUse@lemmy.worldEnglish
          4·
          7 months ago

          If you could hold your breath long enough to get out of your first world bubble, you would be able to see that bitcoin is massively popular amongst people who need ways to escape their collapsing fiat currencies. It is hilarious how spoiled people who happen to be born in countries where everything is taken care of them are too thick and compationless to even consider that other people have actual problems.

            • AIhasUse@lemmy.worldEnglish
              4·
              7 months ago

              I’m lucky enough to be from a country with a relatively stable fiat currency, although it is unclear how much longer that will be the case. In order to protect the value I’ve gained from my work, I do hold some of it in Bitcoin. I also use it to support charitable efforts in less fortunate countries. It is an excellent way to transfer value to exactly who I want to transfer it to without giving massive fees to banks and other companies that facilitate the transfer of funds.

              A big thing to remember is that whenever you hold any countries currency, you are basically giving them a blank check to your energy. You are telling them that they can have as much of the value that you have saved that they want. When they print more money, they are taking that value directly from you. It is one thing to pay taxes on income, property, and goods purchased and sold, but on top of that, they have the ability to extract extra value from you just by running their printers. The more you believe that a government represents you and has your best wishes at heart, the more you should be holding their currency.

              • Krauerking@lemy.lolEnglish
                4·
                7 months ago

                I’m lucky enough to be from a country with a relatively stable fiat currency,

                Oh my God that’s hilarious that you are just making up a strawman of it being helpful for reasons you don’t even use.

                What a weird libertarian crypto shill perspective that is so absolutely unhelpful for anyone.

                • AIhasUse@lemmy.worldEnglish
                  2·
                  7 months ago

                  Just so you know, you are entirely misunderstanding what the term “strawman” is used to refer to. In general, it will make you at least appear to be intelligent if you use words in the proper context.

                  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw_man

                  I didn’t set up any opposing point of view to argue with. No matter what your view on this issue is, that simply isn’t what I’ve done in this situation.

                  Despite the fact that we are on different sides of an issue, I was still able to help you with something that may prevent you from looking stupid in the future. See how that works? Someone doing something to help someone other than themself.

                  • Krauerking@lemy.lolEnglish
                    3·
                    7 months ago

                    Nah.
                    You created your own fake argument for crypto currency despite not using it that way and not being the conversation when it’s about energy use.

                    You built your own strawman. Of an imaginary person that is benefiting in a way that makes you feel better.

                    You are also condescending. It doesn’t make you right in an argument it makes you self assured and self serving. Looks like I was helpful too.

                • AIhasUse@lemmy.worldEnglish
                  1·
                  7 months ago

                  I have lived in countries like what I’ve described and spent much time with people who are from there, and I financially support people from such places. I see nothing wrong with sharing their situation with people who think they know everything about how a technology is used when they clearly do not.

                  Yes, I assume you and others are from privileged societies based on your perspective and the things you say. Sometimes, it is very obvious when people have lived their lives in very specific environments.

                  The way you come across is as someone who doesn’t see any use in getting to know people from societies very different from your own. Simultaneously, you want to feel like you have the correct way of seeing the world, and anyone who sees it differently must be malicious and playing some sort of trick on you. Whenever you feel like you have it all figured out, that’s when you should be looking for your blind spot.

              • gandalf_der_12te@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
                3·
                7 months ago

                tbh if you’re worried about fiat currency, you shouldn’t be investing in crypto currency (which is even more volatile imo) but instead in real, physical assets (such as food and housing).

                Then again, i believe that the big problems can only be solved by repairing the society as a whole. Investing in your own wealth, imo, isn’t worth it. But your choice is yours.

                • AIhasUse@lemmy.worldEnglish
                  1·
                  7 months ago

                  Almost nobody who has ever purchased bitcoin and held onto it until now has lost anything*. This is not the case for ANY fiat currency on earth. There is a very good reason that so many people are flocking to it as a store of value. Holding value in real estate is a good idea, but most food loses its value even faster than the worst fiat currencies.

                  *The exception here is a small handful that happened to have purchased only in the last few weeks, and they have only lost about 1% of their value.

      • Turun@feddit.deEnglish
        2·
        7 months ago

        Crypto is basically cash for online transactions. Pretty niche, but cool and definitely in demand for some situations.

        Just how in the real world you’re shit outta luck if you lose your wallet. Or if you give someone money, but they laugh you in the face you can either cut your losses or try your luck in a fist fight. It’s the same with crypto.

        With banks you have a separate authority that can handle all these cases, which is desirable in 99% of all transactions.

        Unfortunately it’s volatile af, and the most popular crypto currency (Bitcoin)has untenable transaction costs and transaction limitations (10 transactions per second, globally - what a stupid design decision)