ByteJunk comments on AI is not bad for the environment in comparison with many other regular activities.

AI is not bad for the environment in comparison with many other regular activities. (lemmy.world)

submitted 1 year ago by AnonomousWolf@lemmy.world to c/controversial@sh.itjust.works

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People on Lemmy love to cry AI IS BURNING THE PLANNET but have they ever really looked at the numbers?

1 kg Beef = 60kg CO2 - source
1000km Return flight = 314kg CO2 - source
1 Bitcoin transaction = 645kg of CO2 - source
1000 AI prompts = 3kg of CO2 - source including training

I'm a strong advocate for privacy, and I myself am Anti generative AI in many ways, but can we please stop shouting that AI IS BRUNING THE PLANNET, it weakens our position to push back at actual issues with AI like privacy.

Here is a detailed breakdown debunking that AI is destroying the planet: https://andymasley.substack.com/p/a-cheat-sheet-for-conversations-about

[–] ByteJunk@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago* (3 children)

Upvoted for controversial post...

This whole analysis is based on the cost of queries, which consume, in fact, a small amount of power.

You (or OOP) also acknowledge that the massive, obscene, megalomaniac power consumption of AI comes from building up the models themselves.

And then you proceed to ignore that the first one is the driver for the second. This is asinine. It's exactly like saying that the CO2 emissions of fossil fuels is the cost of running the pumps at the station.

Here you go, according to the same logic: