If You Love The Planet, Don't Feel Guilty About Using A.I.
If You Don't Use It, You'll Get Left Behind - and We Can Fix the Energy Impact
It started with my own guilty pangs. I do everything I can to reduce my impact on the crises killing life on Earth. But I had to find out more about AI, so I leapt head first down a rabbit hole.
A high level warren, by the way. Listening to and reading copius amounts from those with greatest knowledge about artificial intelligence, and the direction of travel we mere mortals are stumbling towards.
I’ll sum this part up succinctly:
AI came into most of our lives through curiosity. Could ChatGPT take our job? Could it write our assignment? Could it turn our family members into Pixar characters?
Many dabbled and were not over impressed or too concerned. If that was you, and you haven’t returned since, do yourself a favour and have another look. This is life-changing now.
The big change came with the advent of AI agents - software programs that can execute the AI wizardry on your behalf. One quick example - an AI agent can now set you up a website, add plugins and populate it with content - the kind of task that not so long ago would have taken six weeks to achieve and cost thousands of pounds, Euros or dollars to deliver.
Remember how the internet changed everyone’s lives? Closing stores and newspapers, among the carnage? But it improved our lives too and we can’t live without it now? AI will do the same, multiplied by a million, and you’ll start noticing pretty much immediately.
AI will take over millions of jobs around the world over the next few years. Not a doubt about it. So wake up.
That all sounds pretty dramatic if you’re not aware of the recent progressions in the technology. Those in the know will be nodding their heads and mumbling ‘and then some…’
This video shows a lengthy debate from all sides - optimistic to terrified - but it’s a good one to bring you up to speed if you have time to watch it…
So What About The AI Energy Crisis?
What about it? It’s hardly even mentioned in the video above. Most conversations about AI relate to whether or not the robots will take over the world.
But concerns have indeed been raised among those who give a damn about the planet, because large language models and AI queries use significant amounts of energy - and where the electricity grid is powered by fossil fuels, that leads to significant CO2 emissions.
The International Energy Agency forecast that AI would require almost as much energy by the end of this decade as Japan uses today.
Data centres also use massive amounts of water for cooling servers - and where centres (or centers for my American friends) are in arid regions, such as Arizona and parts of Asia, this can put a strain on local resources.
The MIT Technology Review concluded that the real environmental burden lies in the AI training phase, with end‑user usage (individuals and businesses using the likes of ChatGPT) being relatively modest in comparison.
Viewing energy use in proportion to other sectors, AI's global electricity usage is still lower than that of aviation, heavy industry and even clothing industries.
Another argument often raised in its favour is that AI replaces many processes and practices that cause higher carbon footprints, from lengthy commutes to excess printing.
AI can also help to save energy. As you might expect, because it’s more intelligent than we are…
AI can optimise logistics and reduce emissions - it’s a tool to help, depending on how thoughtfully it's used.
From my own work with SmartGrid innovators SNRG, I am also aware of how renewable energy can power large industrial sites without significantly impacting the local grid.
Solar or wind can feed a site, with excess power generated being stored in batteries, and used at times when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing.
Already, many AI applications are being hosted on microgrids powered by solar or wind. And Google and Microsoft have pledged to power data operations with 100% renewable energy - if that promise means anything to you.
At least the technology is there to massively reduce the environmental impact of data centres running AI. It could even be close to net zero carbon by the end of the decade, if we could only put smart people in power…
Don’t Feel Guilty - Avoiding AI Will Leave You Behind
This is - like it or not - the simple truth. And I would not like to see green, ethical, sustainable businesses losing out because of a refusal to engage with AI tools out of environmental guilt. This would put them at a serious competitive disadvantage.
AI is becoming central to customer service, data analysis and marketing. And even if you decide not to use it to its full potential, you can’t ignore the fact that traditional Google search is pretty much dead - if you want your business to be found, you need to rethink your SEO strategies and start optimising for Google SGE and ChatGPT.
I want the best for sustainable companies - they’ve put themselves out there to make a meaningful difference, risking their bottom line and often surviving only through innovation.
If this describes you and your own enterprise, please don’t feel guilty - we need you, and the planet needs you. Allow AI to assist you in making an even more positive impact.
Get involved and shape best practices for everyone else. This is the time for planet-friendly people to lead the way.