About this episode
The episode explores the environmental impact of AI, specifically its water consumption, and investigates alarming predictions about its future usage.
As Artificial Intelligence continues to expand rapidly, some people have raised concerns about its potential environmental impact - in particular its use of water, which is used to cool both data centres and the power generators that supply them with electricity. One recent book on AI contained the alarming prediction that AI could consume between 4 and 6 trillion litres a year by 2027. Could this eye-popping figure be right? If not, what is the correct figure, and is it a big number? The devil, as ever, is in the detail, and with the help of expert Alex de Vries-Gao, the More or Loss team has taken a deep dive to get to the truth about AI and water consumption. If you’ve seen a number in the news and you think More or Less should take a look, email the team on moreorless@bbc.co.uk Presenter: Charlotte McDonald Producer / Reporter: Nathan Gower Series Producer: Tom Colls Programme Coordinator: Brenda Brown Sound Mix: Dave O’Neil Editor: Richard Vadon
People in this episode
Host: Charlotte McDonald
Guest: Alex de Vries-Gao
Topics covered
- Artificial Intelligence
- water consumption
- environmental impact
- data centres
- cooling systems
Keywords
- AI
- water consumption
- environmental impact
- data centres
- cooling
- electricity
- trillion litres
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: BBC Radio 4
Books & works: AI
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