UN report urges sustainable AI as chatbots' energy waste revealed

A recent report from the United Nations highlights that the environmental impact of artificial intelligence goes well beyond just carbon emissions, including significant water usage, land occupation, and electronic waste. Released on Wednesday by the Institute for Water, Environment and Health at the United Nations University, the study reveals that omitting polite phrases like 'please' and 'thank you' when using chatbots could conserve enough energy to power 760,000 people in sub-Saharan Africa every year. Last year, data centres consumed around 448 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity, placing them 11th globally, similar to France. This energy generation required approximately 4.5 trillion litres of water, enough to fill 1.8 million Olympic swimming pools, and the infrastructure covered 6,900 sq km, nearly 4.5 times the area of Greater London. By 2030, AI infrastructure may produce up to 2.5 million tonnes of electronic waste annually, akin to discarding 250 Eiffel Towers each year. The report calls for sustainable practices as AI usage continues to rise.