Environmental Impact of AI- Increasing Footprint

AI and Environment

One of the significant impacts that the proponents of Artificial Intelligence (AI) vouch for is the environmental benefits it could bring. AI is considered a solution to many environmental issues.

Advantages of AI in the Environment

Some of the significant benefits of AI in the environment includes the following:

• Monitoring- One of AI’s significant benefits is its ability to access large amounts of satellite data, sensors, etc., to monitor and predict water quality, air quality, etc. AI can also help scientists predict natural disasters like earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, etc., and will aid in warning people very early. The use of AI by the European Space Agency to monitor air quality can be referred to as the prime example. Monitoring these issues with AI can have a significant impact on environmental policies across different nations.
• Allocation of Resources—AI can be useful in policy making because it can predict natural disasters. It allows policymakers in different countries to plan prior to a disaster’s actual occurrence and allocate resources accordingly.
• Waste Reduction—AI is utilized today as part of several food supply chains. Through AI, food companies are able to identify patterns of consumption among people in a particular area. Food is only prepared according to this pattern, reducing wastage significantly.
• Optimizing fuel- Using AI, the best route for reaching a destination is manageable, which helps reduce fuel consumption. This optimization through AI is one of the most popular impacts it could have on the environment.
• Tracking Deforestation—A major factor in the use of AI was to identify banned activities such as deforestation. Forest authorities are increasingly using AI for this purpose and to nab the culprits.

By providing real-time information for authorities, AI is considered a highly dependable source of knowledge that prompts authorities to act and initiate policies. Through the optimization opportunities it provides, it was identified as having a significant positive impact on the environment. However, according to recent studies, that is not the case.

Ref. URL: https://energytheory.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/environmental-impact-of-AI.png

AI’s Impact on Environment

Google reported a 13% increase in emissions in their recent surveys. This increase is a significant amount compared to their emission levels last year. Due to the presence of AI, the main reason for this increase is the increased amount of electricity consumption by their servers and supply chains. Experts understand that this trend of increased consumption is expected to increase over the years as AI is utilized in more domains.

Some of the reasons for this increased consumption of energy by AI are:

• Difference from a Google Search: AI servers mainly sift through large amounts of data in a short span of time. Hence, they need more energy to provide an adequate answer to a user’s query. For example, ChatGPT uses up to 33 times more energy than a simple Google search.
• Data Centres- As AI develops, the number of data centres also increases. Consumption of electricity by data centres has increased more than 10% in several countries signaling the impact in could have on environment.

Impact in India

Currently, there is no data available in the country to assess the consumption patterns of data centers. According to experts, the situation is not likely to witness any significant change, at least in the near future. A grave concern is the use of water resources for cooling in data centers. This could potentially have an impact on the consumption pattern of AI in India. Also, the number of data centers will only increase in the coming years. Hence, policymakers need to take due care of the potential impact AI could have on the environment.