AI is an energy and water hog, here’s what you can do to counter that
AI is an energy and water hog, here’s what you can do to counter that
Publish Date: 2026-06-24 11:17:00
Source Domain: vancouver.citynews.ca
WASHINGTON (AP) — As the world tries to curb human-caused climate change and not run dry of water, every online query is increasing our environmental footprint and exacerbating the problem.
Artificial intelligence and the data centers they require use growing amounts of energy and are water hogs — and AI companies aren’t transparent about how much of those resources they use, experts said. So each time you turn to the internet and seek an AI-fueled response, it’s gobbling up precious resources.
“AI is going in the opposite direction to decarbonization efforts,” said cognitive computer scientist Sasha Luccioni, co-founder and chief scientific officer of the Sustainable AI Group. “We should be thinking about where we are going towards. If you’re recycling and a vegan but then you’re using ChatGPT to do your multiplication for you, well that’s kind of against the trend.”
“It’s like one other thing among many to think about when you’re like developing these daily habits,” Luccioni said. “It is not too late. You are not obliged to use AI for everything. You can opt out, you can have a say and you can kind of just like think about how you engage with this technology.”
But she also said Big Tech companies are making it hard by “integrating generative AI into everything. … There’s like this bait-and-switch going on. I feel that nowadays you use the same tools that you used to use, but now they’re generative AI.”
There are a few ways climate conscious individuals aren’t completely powerless, said several experts in water use, artificial intelligence, data center placement and environmental sustainability.
Use AI less
The advice from experts is simple: Just use AI less often.
“The cleanest form of AI use is no use,” Kaveh Madani, a water scientist and director of the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health in Canada. “So when you could avoid using AI, don’t…
