How to Cultivate a More Conscious Approach to AI

AI: Your grandkids will thank you for using books instead.

Key takeaways:

  • Recent research shows that training one large model of AI emits as much carbon as driving 242,231 miles in a regular car.
  • Artificial Intelligence should be used only when it is truly necessary.
  • Relying exclusively on it instead of books and web searches is harmful to both the environment and society.

Some years ago, a new peculiar assistant entered the front door of most of our devices to help us with research, content production, and many other professional and personal activities. We’ve been giving it all sorts of names – ChatGPT, Co-Pilot, Bard, Gemini – but its most common one is Generative AI

Just like other game-changers in our world that do not always play fair – like social media – AI also has its own set of challenges. One of the negative aspects of this new technology is its environmental impact, which is still tough to fully assess. However, data is gradually emerging – let’s take a look!

Some key facts on AI’s environmental impact

The “marvelous world of AI” is just a communication spin. Like many new tools, these models require regular training to work properly. Recent research shows that training one large model emits as much carbon as driving 242,231 miles in a regular car. [1]

However, its environmental impact goes beyond training. Every time we use AI, we add to its footprint. Imagine chatting with ChatGPT: we send one, two, five, or twenty messages to get the answer we need. For every 20 to 50 questions, our assistant uses the equivalent of a 500 ml bottle of water. [2]

But this technology drinks more than just water. Estimates show that generative AI-powered online searches use four to five times more energy compared to regular web searches. In just a few years, these massive artificial intelligence systems might be consuming as much energy as entire nations. [3]

In one of our previous articles, we shared a bunch of tips on how to embrace a mindful lifestyle. Now, let’s expand that list with some ways to use AI responsibly and reduce our impact.

We need to use AI when we really need it (spoiler: rarely!)

With such a strong free tool at our disposal, it’s easy to lose track of when we really need it. Instead of focusing on using AI for specific tasks, we end up integrating it into everything – from making grocery store lists to writing academic papers.

To keep things balanced, we should create a mental scale from 1 to 10 to determine how much artificial intelligence would boost your productivity or improve your results. If the answer falls between 1 and 6, we should challenge ourselves to use our brainpower instead. The environment will be grateful! 

An alternative to AI: good old books are not out of fashion

When MP3s hit the market, vinyl records gradually lost their groove. A decade later, they are experiencing a fresh boom, fueled by nostalgia and a newfound love for their uniqueness. 

Then, why not speed things up a bit and rediscover the charm of books or a good old web search – they are much lighter on energy compared to AI. 

If we’re working on an academic paper or scientific research, we should try to give those old tomes a shot. Using external and reliable sources coming from written texts and smart web searches will also

help mitigate the misinformation crisis. The rise of fake news is fueled by AI models generating vast amounts of content and disseminating it faster than humans can. This includes targeted disinformation on politics, society, and science, already circulating and influencing perceptions. [4]

AI-powered content farms churn out daily doses of fake written and visual content, flooding the internet and social media with climate misinformation. [5] For example, in April 2023, NewsGuard identified 49 websites that use generative AI to mimic traditional news sites and spread false information. [6]

Next time we use AI, we should remember to verify every piece of information it generates with reliable external sources.

Let’s not take it for granted – just like we shouldn’t ignore its impact on the environment!

A sneak peek of our next article

Speaking of mindful approaches… next month, we’ll be exploring new ways to discover conscious fashion. Stay tuned!

 

 

[1] “Sustainable AI: Environmental Implications, Challenges and Opportunities”, Cornell University, available at: https://arxiv.org/abs/2111.00364
[2]“Making AI Less “Thirsty” available at: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2304.03271
[3]“Generative AI’s Environmental Costs Are Soaring” available at: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00478-x#ref-CR1
[4] “Generative AI is the ultimate disinformation amplifier”, Deutsche Welle, available at https://akademie.dw.com/en/generative-ai-is-the-ultimate-disinformation-amplifier/a-68593890
[5]
“AI could create a perfect storm of climate misinformation”, Stockholm Resilience Centre, available at: https://www.stockholmresilience.org/download/18.889aab4188bda3f44912a32/1687863825612/SRC_Climate%20misinformation%20brief_A4_.pdf
[6] “AI-generated websites” available at: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/may/08/ai-generated-news-websites-study 

 

AUTHOR: Tommaso Corso & Federica Paolucci