The Unseen Costs of AI

Generative AI uses a surprising amount of physical resources, including electricity and water. Research shows that each AI interaction can consume the equivalent of a small water bottle, adding up to millions of liters over time. This raises ethical concerns, especially when many communities around the world still lack access to clean water and basic infrastructure. As we develop and use AI, we must consider not just its benefits, but also its environmental impact and the global inequalities it may worsen.

    •    Water per AI response: Generating a 100-word response with GPT-4 can use up to 1.4 liters of water, equal to about three 16.9 oz water bottles.

    •    Monthly water usage: With millions of users, ChatGPT is estimated to consume around 4.4 billion liters of water per month

    •    Global water crisis: Over 703 million people worldwide do not have access to clean drinking water.