OPINION | The Price of Artificial Intelligence

I think it’s not a surprise anymore that artificial intelligence—AI—is becoming part of our everyday lives, from helping with homework to powering social media and online services. Believe me when I say that this is true, I for one, also use AI here and then when it comes to school work. But what many people don’t realize is that AI comes with a serious environmental cost.

Large data centers that run AI systems need huge amounts of water to cool their servers and prevent overheating. In fact, some facilities use millions of gallons of water each year, which adds pressure to freshwater supplies that many communities already struggle to maintain.

The problem is that this kind of water use often goes unnoticed. Unlike pollution you can see, like trash in rivers or smoke in the air, the water consumed by AI stays behind the scenes. Every search, generated image, every ChatGPT prompt, or automated response relies on machines working nonstop, and those machines require constant cooling. While tech companies talk about sustainability, the demand for AI continues to grow faster than efforts to reduce its environmental impact.

But for the record, AI is an impressive tool that can bring many benefits, but it shouldn’t harm the planet in the process. There needs to be more focus on developing more ways to use clean energy through water-free technologies, as well as being honest about the environmental footprint of digital services. Progress should move forward responsibly. If we ignore these hidden costs now, we may face bigger environmental problems in the future.