Does AI have a Drinking Problem?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) uses both water and energy at an alarming rate, an issue exacerbated by the fact that water shortages across the planet is a real concern. However, there are arguments to claim that AI will be able to somewhat mitigate its energy and water usage by greatly improving the efficiencies of entire sectors, such as agriculture.

Nothing Comes for Free

You almost can’t say enough about AI, not only about the effect it has already had, but also about the potential it holds for the very near future. Services such as ChatGPT, Copilot and DeepSeek all provide access to information in a way that only a few years ago would have been almost unimaginable. Artificial Intelligence has made it possible to automate many tasks that previously would have taken hours or days, it is even being developed to detect life threatening diseases. But all of this innovation doesn’t come for free, and the cost of AI isn’t just financial.

Powering Generative AI is Thirsty Work

AI requires a large amount of energy to power it, and vast amounts of water to keep it cool and running efficiently. ChatGPT uses 500ml of water for every 300 queries. Originally, this number was thought to be closer to every 20 queries, but when we only consider the water used directly for cooling the data centres, the situation improves. This excludes the water potentially used earlier in the process for electricity generation. With this being said, the most dominant AI platform on the planet receives around 1 billion messages every day. This means that ChatGPT alone uses around 1,666,667 litres of water every day, equivalent to about 666 Olympic swimming pools.

It is also important to remember that this is the statistics of just one AI platform, so the actual numbers across AI technologies are much larger.

The Troubling Reality of Freshwater

The way that humans use fresh water suggests that there is an infinite supply. This is not the case. In fact, according to the World Economic Forum, global freshwater demand will exceed supply by 40% by 2030. It is important to note that this of course not solely due to the increase in AI usage, but with a prediction this severe we must do anything in our power to mitigate this looming freshwater crisis.

In Defence of AI

In terms of water and energy usage, the common comparison to an AI prompt is a Google search, as they often serve the same purpose. When comparing these two actions, using ChatGPT requires 10 times more energy. However, there are those that argue the use of AI is not as bad for the environment as it is portrayed. For example, watching one hour of TV consumes four times more water than it takes to ask ChatGPT 300 questions. When researching this topic, it's also easy to find predictions suggesting that AI could be responsible for half a percent of global electricity consumption by 2027, which sounds concerning. However, what this data is unable to consider is the potential efficiency gains through artificial intelligence.

The same can be said from a water usage perspective. AI may require a large amount of water, but it also has the potential to significantly offset its own shortcomings through increasing efficiencies elsewhere. For example, if it can be used to increase efficiency within the agricultural sector, by far the biggest user of water worldwide, it could lead to substantial savings in water through more sustainable farming practices. Effectively, AI has the potential to make itself, and others, more efficient.

AI Isn’t Going Anywhere

Whichever side of the fence you sit on this subject, the reality is that AI is only growing in prominence. The influence it already has over numerous sectors, such as the healthcare industry, has grown immensely already. The major reason for this is down to the increased efficiency that it provides. However, increased adoption also means increased energy and water usage, not to mention increased e-waste production. Regulation is a hot button topic in the world of AI, but usually from a data and security perspective. The regulation of energy usage associated must also be considered.

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