Google AI
NewsPronto

 

USA Conversation

The Conversation USA

The Conversation USA

Is generative AI bad for the environment? A computer scientist explains the carbon footprint of ChatGPT and its cousins

  • Written by: Kate Saenko, Associate Professor of Computer Science, Boston University
imageAI chatbots and image generators run on thousands of computers housed in data centers like this Google facility in Oregon.Tony Webster/Wikimedia, CC BY-SA

Generative AI is the hot new technology behind chatbots and image generators. But how hot is it making the planet?

As an AI researcher, I often worry about the energy costs of building artificial...

Read more: Is generative AI bad for the environment? A computer scientist explains the carbon footprint of...

More Articles …

  1. More than two dozen cities and states are suing Big Oil over climate change – they just got a boost from the US Supreme Court
  2. Salman Rushdie renews fight against book-banning -- 3 essential articles on right-wing challenges to what schoolkids can read
  3. Coca-Cola's biggest challenge in greening its operations is its own global marketing strategy
  4. What Greek mythology teaches us about women’s resistance and rebellion
  5. New approach to teaching computer science could broaden the subject's appeal
  6. White House plan to combat antisemitism needs to take on centuries of hatred, discrimination and even lynching in America
  7. White House plan to combat antisemitism takes on centuries of hatred, discrimination and even lynching in America
  8. Chronic pain can be objectively measured using brain signals – new research
  9. Trans joy and family bonds are big parts of the transgender experience lost in media coverage and anti-trans legislation
  10. What is a black box? A computer scientist explains what it means when the inner workings of AIs are hidden
  11. Gravitational wave detector LIGO is back online after 3 years of upgrades – how the world's most sensitive yardstick reveals secrets of the universe
  12. AI is changing how Americans find jobs, get promoted and succeed at work
  13. GOP's proposed expansion of SNAP work requirements targets many low-income people in their early 50s – but many of them already work
  14. Shavuot: The Jewish holiday that became all about children
  15. How can I make studying a daily habit?
  16. Warhol Foundation v. Goldsmith: Supreme Court rules for income streams over artistic freedom
  17. How wildfire smoke can harm human health, even when the fire is hundreds of miles away – a toxicologist explains
  18. Unionized bodies in topless bar! Strippers join servers and baristas in new labor movement
  19. Balance declines with age, but exercise can help stave off some of the risk of falling
  20. Military drones are swarming the skies of Ukraine and other conflict hot spots – and anything goes when it comes to international law
  21. Talking puppy or finger puppet? 5 tips for buying baby toys that support healthy development
  22. When faith says to help migrants – and the law says don't
  23. Parasitic infections hit the health of low-income Black communities where states have neglected sewage systems
  24. Craft breweries are fermenting change, addressing local ills while serving local ales
  25. When wolves move in, they push smaller carnivores closer to human development – with deadly consequences
  26. ChatGPT-powered Wall Street: The benefits and perils of using artificial intelligence to trade stocks and other financial instruments
  27. 'Rhetoric' doesn't need to be such an ugly word – it has a lot to teach echo-chambered America
  28. Feinstein just the latest example of an old problem: Politicians have long been able to evade questions about their ability to serve
  29. IRS granted tax-exempt status to extremists, including an Oath Keepers foundation – here’s why that’s not as surprising as it sounds
  30. Teenage brains are drawn to popular social media challenges – here's how parents can get their kids to think twice
  31. From sit-ins in the 1960s to uprisings in the new millennium, Harry Belafonte served as a champion of youth activism
  32. 'Mistaken, misread, misquoted, mislabeled, and mis-spoken' -- what Woody Guthrie wrote about the national debt debate in Congress during the Depression
  33. Pivotal points in the COVID-19 pandemic – 5 essential reads
  34. Symbols of the Confederacy are slowly coming down from US military bases: 3 essential reads
  35. Attacks on 'segregated' graduation ceremonies overlook the history of racism on campus
  36. Three lessons from Aristotle on friendship
  37. Barbara Kingsolver's 'Demon Copperhead' and the enduring devastation of the opioid crisis
  38. Vaccines using mRNA can protect farm animals against diseases traditional ones may not – and there are safeguards to ensure they won't end up in your food
  39. Bees can learn, remember, think and make decisions – here's a look at how they navigate the world
  40. Lack of affordable childcare is hurting young farm families' ability to grow their businesses – the US farm bill may finally offer some help
  41. How China uses 'geostrategic corruption' to exert its influence in Latin America
  42. War rooms and bailouts: How banks and the Fed are preparing for a US default – and the chaos expected to follow
  43. Sunzi, 'shì' and strategy: How to read 'Art of War' the way its author intended
  44. Gay men can now donate blood after FDA changes decades-old rule – a health policy researcher explains the benefits
  45. EPA’s crackdown on power plant emissions is a big first step – but without strong certification, it will be hard to ensure captured carbon stays put
  46. International Criminal Court is using digital evidence to investigate Putin – but how can it tell if a video or photo is real or fake?
  47. The Nation of Islam: A brief history
  48. COVID-19's total cost to the economy in US will reach $14 trillion by end of 2023 – new research
  49. Want more good ideas from your workers? Try giving them a reward – and a choice
  50. US has a long history of state lawmakers silencing elected Black officials and taking power from their constituents