Is the rapid rise of AI making you nervous? Do you ever wake up in a cold sweat after dreams of robot wars and the world on fire?
I can't be the only one who finds the idea of unregulated AI quite frightening.
The fact that AI tools use so much energy - eg a Chat GPT-3 search uses 10 times more energy than a Google search - is also deeply concerning.
Recently, I had the privilege of speaking with an expert on AI and sustainability as part of a research project I’m working on for climate conscious product design agency Hiyield.
The conversation explored some of the most fascinating - and urgent - questions about the future of AI, and it left me with plenty to think about.
AI often feels like a mysterious oracle, delivering astonishing answers one minute and baffling nonsense the next. But beneath the surface, AI is far from magical. It’s powered by vast amounts of energy-hungry machines that work around the clock to make calculations, producing waste heat that requires constant cooling.
This raises two critical challenges: how to power these machines sustainably and how to manage the waste heat they produce. As the expert explained, AI is inherently energy-intensive because, unlike traditional computing, it can’t rely on cached data or shortcuts. Every calculation is novel, which makes AI brilliant but also inefficient.
So where does that leave us? The expert painted two possible futures: one where we use AI’s potential to solve these sustainability challenges and create a better, more equitable world (utopia), and another where its unchecked growth exacerbates our environmental problems (dystopia).
The optimist in me loves the idea that AI could help us crack long-standing challenges, like developing fusion energy or designing more efficient systems. But real progress will require collaborative, forward-thinking research - not just an arms race to profit.
This discussion is part of a wider research project I’m working on with Hiyield, exploring AI and sustainability. It’s one of the most thought-provoking projects I’ve been involved in, and I feel so fortunate to dive into a topic that’s as challenging as it is important.
The result will be a report that will shine a light on these issues and spark conversation across marketing, sales and PR platforms.
Watch this space for the full report. And if you’re thinking about running a research project to help bring important issues to light and support your marketing strategy, I’d love to help.
Get in touch to find out more about what I can do for you.
