Is AI worth the energy?
Sources:
Gelles, David. Jan 7 2025. What Will Power the A.I. Revolution? The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/07/climate/artificial-intelligence-power-emissions.html
The article discusses how big tech companies building AI technologies, like Microsoft, Google, and others, are requiring large amounts of energy resulting in increased greenhouse gas emissions. This energy demand is expected to increase substantially in the next few years, straining the power grid which currently runs mostly on natural gas and goal. To accommodate for this, companies are investing in solutions including nuclear energy and carbon capture technology to offset the pollution of natural gas. While the current energy demands of AI are negatively affecting climate, proponents believe that AI will help improve clean energy solutions in the long run.
Is it worth it?
Despite what proponents of AI are saying, I believe that AI, as it is currently being used, is not worth the energy. The article discusses how AI technologies could help implement clean energy solutions and solve climate change. While I can see how AI could assist in scientific research and development to accomplish this goal, I don’t think that the conventional use AI tools to assist in everyday tasks such as grocery lists, driving, and making art is contributing towards this mission. A market failure is present here; there is evidently insufficient investment being made in clean energy alternatives. At the same time, current energy policies may not be sufficiently regulating energy use, and stricter emissions limits or incentives for clean energy alternatives could perhaps improve some of the negative effects of AI’s high energy use.