Peter RoopnarineFeb 12, 2023
Is anyone surprised? "researchers estimates that the training of GPT-3, which ChatGPT is partly based on, consumed 1,287 MWh, and led to emissions of more than 550 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent" https://www.wired.com/story/the-generative-ai-search-race-has-a-dirty-secret/ #climatechange #AI
The Generative AI Race Has a Dirty Secret

Integrating large language models into search engines could mean a fivefold increase in computing power and huge carbon emissions.

WIRED
Show threadVíktor Bautista i Roca

@peterroopnarine

i guess this does not include the workers... A US person produces 19,9 tonnes of CO2eq per year. So, just 28 workers of OpenAI would emit more that in a year.

Feb 12, 2023 at 6:59pmWeb
Show threadPeter RoopnarineFeb 12, 2023
@viktorbir no it does not include the workers, but if you read carefully it does include the eventual scaling per user, which will be far greater. And 2 points. 1) I have seen too many arguments that excuse this type of additional emissions by comparison to what individuals already emit. Individual emissions are the sum of usage of services, eventually to include those one. 2) AI emissions will magnify tremendously as number of users do.
Show threadVíktor Bautista i RocaFeb 13, 2023

@peterroopnarine

If you reread the article you'll see it gives no data about what CO2 equivalent emissions are per search. So, we cannot talk about this.

And, if bing is like google, google's carbon footprint is zero. And it is thanks to use AI in the optimization of the energy use, in fact.

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-54141899

Google says its carbon footprint is now zero

The technology giant has also pledged to be using only carbon-free energy by 2030.

BBC News
Show threadPeter RoopnarineFeb 13, 2023
@viktorbir sorry, but Google's announcement deserves more scrutiny than it has been given. While laudable, the footprint is supposedly zero only because of purchased offsets. And the extent to which purchased offsets decrease actual emissions is a difficult calculation. And, that is a footprint calculation that does not account for increases that will result from an expanded use of AI in searches, which is currently unknown, but will be large, and is a focal point of the article that I posted.
Show threadVíktor Bautista i RocaFeb 13, 2023

@peterroopnarine

The focal point... of which the give no data.

Show threadPeter RoopnarineFeb 13, 2023
@viktorbir Touche, as does Google. It is a news article that raises a very serious question in need of investigation and cannot simply be ignored because there are insufficient data. Those questions are settled with the gathering of data. Unfortunately, as with many issues of climate change, the impacts accompany the data.