The concept of Artificial Intelligence has swept the country over the past few years and has gained immense popularity by rising from being unknown to a cultural and global reliance. AI’s inherent capability of using computer systems to perform tasks that are normally associated with human intelligence, such as learning, problem-solving, identifying patterns, understanding and interpreting languages, and deciding, can basically be summarized as teaching machines to think, learn and act like humans.
One major reason why the development of AI has been rapid is that it can be continuously subjected to change or upgrades. Today, the largest percentage of the media that we consume was generated or altered through AI, such as music, videos, and even the gaming world.
The presence of such a huge and expanding market required AI systems to adapt and function seamlessly. To do so, these systems required a huge quantity of resources, mainly water. The main water-consuming areas included the large data centers required to power artificial intelligence systems and the manufacturing processes for the complex computer chips these systems required. It was also predicted that artificial intelligence systems’ water footprint could one day match the overall need for water at a national level.
Water was mostly utilized in the release of the server’s heat. Most of the water utilized was often lost as a result of evaporation, which translates into a high cost to the environment. Most people were not conscious of the long-term effects associated with the use of the resources. Used water, as a result of the operations in the various centers, could put a lot of stress on the supply that was utilized by the farmers and the locals. Once the utilized water had evaporated, it was no longer available.
Advocacy for policies that require technology companies to publicly report their usage of water would enable more responsibility and informed decision-making. Mindfulness and education about AI’s impact on the environment would reduce overuse and prevent dependency on AI for basic tasks.
