> When you ask an AI model to write you a joke or generate a video of a puppy, that query comes with a small but measurable energy toll and an associated amount of emissions spewed into the atmosphere. Given that each individual request often uses less energy than running a kitchen appliance for a few moments, it may seem insignificant.
> But as more of us turn to AI tools, these impacts start to add up. And increasingly, you don’t need to go looking to use AI: It’s being integrated into every corner of our digital lives.
Forward looking, I imagine this will be the biggest factor in increasing energy demands for AI: companies shoving it into products that nobody wants or needs.
I have zero use for the AI summary that google chooses to prepend to my search summary. I decided to fact check a few, and they were totally wrong in subtle ways, either changing a word or phrase and thus inverting the meaning, or else completely summarizing from a site which had no relevance to my search.
So yes, I'd like to disable this completely. Even if it's just a single birthday candle worth of energy usage.
Try to buy something that isn’t wrapped in three layers of plastic. Or that isn’t made of plastic itself. Then go to the checkout and see their “PSA” about how asking for a plastic bag to carry your plastic merchandise kills the planet.
I’m sorry. I’m being blocked by some mysterious force from understanding what “actual human” means. And I don’t know how to get you in contact with your car manufacturer. Would you like me to repeat my 20 step suggestion on how to troubleshoot “why does my shitty car put the A/C on freezer mode whenever “Indian Summer” tops the charts in Bulgaria”, but with more festive emojis?
In the short term perhaps, but even without carbon pricing the raw electricity prices will probably tamp down the enthusiasm. At someone point it’ll become cool for activist investors to demand to see ROI for AI features on earnings calls, and then the fat will get trimmed just like any other trend that goes too far.
I think the bigger underrated concern is if LLMs fall into an unfortunate bucket where they are in fact generally useful, but not in ways that help us decarbonize our energy supply (or that do, but not enough to offset their own energy usage).
> increasing energy demands for AI: companies shoving it into products that nobody wants or needs
I think of this a little every time Google gives me another result with the AI summary and no option for anyone to turn it off. Apparently worldwide there are 8+ billion searches every day.
> But as more of us turn to AI tools, these impacts start to add up. And increasingly, you don’t need to go looking to use AI: It’s being integrated into every corner of our digital lives.
Forward looking, I imagine this will be the biggest factor in increasing energy demands for AI: companies shoving it into products that nobody wants or needs.