Dear Earth,
“Cease your love affair with Chat GPT!” We all yell in perfect harmony, like a choir of confused robots. But let’s be real, there’s no “we” in this melodious protest; it’s more like a solo act featuring a bunch of “theys” who forgot to invite the rest of us. The truth is, the collective “we” is as elusive as a Wi-Fi signal in a basement. It turns out that when it comes to the shiny gadgets and gizmos of our time, awareness is about as common as a unicorn at a tech convention. At some point, we all have to face the music and admit that humans are basically like fish out of water without their beloved tech. And while we’re at it, let’s not ignore the growing pile of evidence that shows how our tech obsession is not just messing with our brains but also giving Mother Nature a serious case of the heebie-jeebies.
A computer is stupid. Humans are stupid but a developed kind of clueless. Hence, there is a connection between the way computers and people function. I would like to especially point out the similarity in which both humans and computers produce a nasty, sweaty smelling odor. Personally, when I sweat it’s because I’m getting overworked by activities, anxiousness, or just in general, the weather. Yet, it seems that many tech users out there fail to grasp that while I’m over here dripping like a leaky faucet, the computer is also sweating it out, stuck in the same sweaty predicament as its human counterpart, both of us just trying to keep our cool in this chaotic digital dance. Now, it’s common sense to understand how sweating works on the human side of this argument, however, the concept of computers sweating and releasing a bad odor as well, is “unknown.”
A recent study was done at the University of California, Riverside, which revealed AI models like ChatGPT-3 and 4 have consequential water footprints. In the study, it highlights during the period of which Microsoft was training its GPT-3’s, approximately 700,000 litres of freshwater were used and evaporated. Apparently, that is equivalent to the same amount of water needed to produce 370 BMW cars or 320 Teslas.
Mind Blowing!
The process of how AI generators use up a vast majority of our water sources is due to heat and overworking “our” beloved Chat GPT. Let’s put this into perspective. Everytime you ask Chat GPT to generate an essay, you are draining about 500 mL of freshwater. Each minute that you are on Chat gpt, there is a minute on earth of which water is being turned into heat to cool down the machine, and released into the atmosphere. We have millions of users on Chat GPT at the same time, asking the same question. Ultimately, Chat GPT will emit at least 8.4 tons of Carbon dioxide per year in the foreseeable future.
While I have hope that AI could address climate challenges in the future, the current lack of evidence showing its positive impact for the greater good is quite disheartening. Honestly, there should be hard limits on what Chat GPT can provide to daily users because at this rate, if we keep abusing technology’s convenience, we may have to use the term survive more often than living.
Best,
Jessica Ngok
Letters To Earth 