What do experts say about the environmental impact of the AI ​​boom in 2025?

Bittime - Explosion of usage of artificial intelligence (AI) in 2025 will not only transform the way humans work and interact, but it will also have significant consequences for the environment.

A recent report highlights that carbon emissions from AI activities worldwide are equivalent to the total emissions of the entire city of New York, raising serious questions about the sustainability of this technology.

AI Usage Surge in 2025

Research conducted by Alex de Vries-Gao, founder of Digiconomist, is one of the first attempts to specifically quantify the impact of AI, rather than just data centers in general.

He highlighted that the use of popular chatbots such as OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini will skyrocket by 2025, triggering tremendous energy and water consumption.

According to De Vries-Gao, the carbon footprint of AI systems could reach 80 million tons by 2025, while the water consumption could reach 765 billion liters. Interestingly, this water usage figure is more than a third higher than previous estimates for all global data centers.

He emphasized that these environmental costs are still being borne by society, while technology companies are enjoying huge profits from AI technology.

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The Impact of AI on the Environment According to Experts

Donald Campbell, advocacy director at Foxglove, a UK non-profit, added that the general public now bears the environmental burden for some of the world's richest companies.

He warned that the boom in building large data centers focused on AI is just beginning, and each new facility could produce emissions equivalent to several international airports.

An International Energy Agency report shows that AI-focused data centers now use as much electricity as the large aluminum industry, and electricity consumption from data centers is expected to more than double by 2030.

In the United States, electricity usage from AI data centers reaches 45% of the global total, followed by China at 25% and Europe at 15%.

Meanwhile, in the UK, the largest data centre planned on the site of a former coal-fired power plant in Blyth is expected to produce more than 180,000 tonnes of CO2 per year, equivalent to the emissions of 24,000 homes.

Additionally, India is investing around $30 billion to build new data centers, but limited electricity supply from the national grid is forcing the construction of large diesel generators for backup power, which KPMG says poses a “significant carbon liability.”

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Disclosure of AI's Impact on the Environment Remains Limited

De Vries-Gao highlighted that environmental impact disclosure from tech companies remains very limited, making it difficult to assess the total impact of data centers, let alone isolate specific uses of AI.

For example, Google reported a 12% reduction in energy emissions from its data centers by 2024 thanks to new clean energy sources, but acknowledged that achieving its climate targets is now more complex and challenging, particularly due to the slow implementation of carbon-free technologies.

This phenomenon raises a major question: are the benefits of AI worth the costs to society and the environment? Several experts emphasize that transparency and stricter regulation of technology companies are urgently needed to prevent AI's growth from harming the planet.

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FAQ

What is the AI ​​boom of 2025?

The AI ​​boom of 2025 refers to the explosion in the widespread use of artificial intelligence technology in various sectors, including chatbots, intelligent search, and creative services.

How does AI impact the environment?

AI causes massive CO2 emissions, equivalent to the entire city of New York, as well as water use that exceeds global demand for bottled water.

Why is AI water consumption high?

Data centers running AI require intensive cooling, so water consumption increases drastically to keep servers operating stably.

Who bears the environmental costs of AI?

According to experts, the general public bears the environmental burden, while technology companies profit greatly from the use of AI.

What steps can be taken to reduce the impact of AI on the environment?

Technology companies need to increase transparency, leverage clean energy, and enforce stricter government regulations to ensure AI growth is more sustainable.