Artificial Intelligence is in its viral era at the moment. It’s powering your TikTok feed, helping doctors catch diseases earlier, even writing songs and essays. But behind the scenes? AI has a dirty little secret — it’s an energy guzzler.
According to a recent Guardian article, the energy demands of AI-powered datacentres are on track to quadruple by 2030. That’s huge. Think of massive buildings full of buzzing servers, running 24/7, sucking up electricity like a never-ending Black Friday sale. Some of this power comes from renewables, sure — but a lot still comes from fossil fuels.
But as well as being an energy addict — AI is thirsty, too. Training models at massive data centres can guzzle millions of litres of water, used to stop servers from overheating. And a lot of these centres are built in places already battling drought. Not exactly climate justice.
Here’s the big ethical question: Is AI worth the environmental cost?
Let’s break it down. On the one hand, AI has epic potential to help us fight climate change — by predicting extreme weather, optimising energy grids, making farming more sustainable and forecasting consumer requirements. But ironically, training one single AI model can emit over 626,000 pounds of CO2, equivalent to the emissions of five cars over their lifetimes. MIT Review
So yes, AI could help save the planet… while also kind of destroying it?
That’s where ethics kicks in. Big tech companies are racing to out-AI each other — but are they being transparent about the climate cost? Shouldn’t we, as the next generation of digital citizens, demand that AI is not just smart but also sustainable?
The good news: awareness is growing. More people are asking questions. There’s talk about setting energy-efficiency standards for datacentres and investing in greener AI tech. In March 2024, the European Commission adopted a regulation establishing a sustainability rating scheme for data centers. Energy EC
But change doesn’t only come from the top. It starts with us. Whether you’re into coding, climate activism, or just curious — your voice matters. Ask your school/college, your government, even your favourite AI app: What’s your AI doing for (or against) the planet? Because the future of AI should be cool — not literally heating up the Earth.