Editor’s note: A quote from Zachary Horn was updated in the third paragraph after a transcription error was identified. The reporter apologies for the error.
As climate change becomes more of an issue, artificial intelligence’s (AI) energy use slowly raises more problems, even if users are unaware.
The increase of climate change has been ongoing since the Industrial Revolution. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information reported that 2024 was the warmest year since global records started in 1850. This indicates the amount of sunlight energy absorbed and the heat traveling back to space is out of balance, and the temperature either rises or falls.
To power AI, it takes massive amounts of energy to run for long periods of time.
“I would say in the early stages, the concern of energy consumption would be my biggest concern,” said OH AP Environmental Teacher Zachary Horn. “But obviously, there are some advantages that AI can do that can maybe streamline things, maybe reduce our need for burning fossil fuels, and other ways like transportation and communication. I think it’s too early to say whether or not it’s gonna have a bigger impact,” Horn added.
The issue with avoiding AI is that it is everywhere. Google AI pulls sources from the internet, making it easy to find information. That is how AI works and is expected to evolve as time goes on and handle more complex situations.
“AI has been rapidly changing since it first came out,” said OH English teacher Adam Jensen. “There’s a lot of people who are working on trying to create super intelligence, an AI that has the full ability to reason and think through different things.”
We do not know when super intelligence will finish being developed, but is it really worth risking our freshwater sources?
“I know there’s a lot of concern with water usage in particular,” said Jensen. “There are these massive data centers, which are environmentally costly to construct, but then all of these servers require water to keep them cool and to run at the highest function.”
Less than 1% of the world’s water sources are accessible freshwater.
AI has an immense carbon footprint, which means it’s producing a lot of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which causes global warming.
“From my research, it seems more negative. One training AI system is equal to five cars carbon emissions,” said OH senior Colton Peat.
Annual emissions from a gas-powered car are 112 metric tons, and a GPT-3 AI model emits 500 to 552 metric tons of carbon total. This is harming our environment almost 5 times more than before the development of AI, creating bigger issues like altering our weather patterns.
A lot of students and teachers use AI for their own research. It is a quick and easy way to access information from the internet in a timely fashion, but it contributes to the problem.
“It’s a tool. There are good ways to use a tool, and there are bad ways to use a tool. So, every decision we make is gonna have a cost one way or another,” Jensen said.
“I’m no expert when it comes to the environmental cost, but in schools, when you are using AI, there’s the benefit of having lots of information just readily at your fingertips,” he added. “So, students, much like when the internet first came out, there was a new opportunity to engage students with materials that they didn’t have access to beforehand.”
Students take advantage of this powerful source and tend to misuse these systems for more than just research. “So there is a benefit with this technology, but much like any tool, it can be used incorrectly,” Jensen continued. “In regards to the environment, I’m sure there’s several avenues that AI could revolutionize research for protecting the environment or help people send out messaging or help with marketing to inspire people to handle energy in more responsible ways.”
I’m sure this tool can be used for better purposes, once AI trainers figure out how to expand its knowledge, but no one is sure when this time will come. It is up to us to stop overusing the system when it only gives out information you can find through Google.
Save our environment by avoiding AI and finding your sources on your own.
Hello! My name is Jessica Bellah and I'm a senior and this is my first year on 42Fifty Staff. You can contacts me by emailing 42Fifty@sd308.org and putting my name in the subject line. We welcome comments on our articles and feedback on our publication!
