‘AI chat models consume staggering amount of water’

SAMSUN

AI chat models consume nearly half a liter of water for every 25 questions asked, an expert has stated, as the environmental impacts of artificial intelligence are still being explored.

Prof. Dr. Yüksel Ardalı, a faculty member of Ondokuz Mayıs University Department of Environmental Engineering, gave some insights about AI chat models, which have increased in use, especially in the last few months, and how their concerning amount of water consumption impacts the environment.

“A recent study revealed that AI chatbots have a significant water footprint due to the amount of water required to maintain data centers and train their chat models. Considering that ChatGPT has more than 100 million active users participating in multiple chats, it is estimated that hundreds of tons of water have been consumed so far. The water footprint of AI models can no longer remain under the radar.”

Stating that approximately half a liter of water is consumed when one single user asks 25 questions to AI chatbots, Ardalı said that in addition to their water consumption, AI chatbots also emit a lot of carbon dioxide into the environment.

According to estimates, ChatGPT emits 8.4 tons of carbon dioxide per year, which is more than twice the amount emitted by 1 person (four tons per year), the professor said, noting that the type of power supply used to run these data centers affects the amount of emissions produced.

“In another study, they estimated that by creating GPT-3 chat model, they have consumed 1,287 MWh of electricity and produced 552 tons of carbon dioxide. This is just to get the model ready for launch before any consumer starts using it.”

In the end, the use of AI, even though they provide convenience for many, should be minimized without ignoring that it also has serious environmental impacts, the professor added.