Also I think switching to renewable energy makes this less of an issue anyway.
AI energy usage is only an issue if we have limited energy supply or use fossil fuels. As we transition to using more renewable sources of energy or even nuclear, how much energy is used by AI is I think not really an issue.
AI energy use I’d argue is not a problem when we have abundant renewable energy?
So in a way, the AI energy use isn’t even the fundamental problem now, the problem now is how quick we can transition to renewables. Only if we are slow, or for some reason we don’t transition to renewables is AI energy use an issue. But all major countries are transitioning to renewable energy.
I’d say AI energy use is less of a problem than many others, for example AI energy use is tiny compared to the energy use on transportation or domestic energy.
So I think it’s helpful to understand AI energy use not in isolation which can be misleading, but relative to other uses of energy, which are far worse.
And this is only a temporary problem anyway until we transition to abundant renewable/ nuclear energy 🙂👌
I also believe these issues need to be evaluated together, and you know I’m a big advocate for rapidly advancing AI. 🙂
But from another perspective, I’d like to add this: AI comes with a significant energy demand, and this is something we urgently need to address because it impacts so many other areas.
I wonder, though—are you not concerned about the energy use of AI and the energy requirements tied to its rapid and excessive growth?
No I'm not concerned about AI energy use for 2 key reasons:
- AI energy use is around 2.5% of global energy use, so tiny
- Because energy demand only makes sense in relation to energy supply e.g. being a limited resource and as I highlighted in my previous comment, as we transition to renewables and unlimited renewable/nuclear, when energy is abundant, energy use is not a problem.
I'm far more worried about energy use now by residential which is 26.6% of global energy use, or industry which is 41.9% of global energy use. If we made even small improvements in residential or industry energy use it would save more energy than all AI global energy use easily! This is why I see nothing to worry about with AI energy use, because its tiny compared to other major energy uses. as long as we keep moving to renewables.
For me worrying about AI energy use is a bit like worrying about a mosquito when an elephant is charging towards you! Its about context.
I explained this and showed all this data and more in our article we wrote together? I'll quote one part:
'Context as they say, is everything. While it makes sense for many reasons to reduce the energy consumption of AI systems, we can only accurately understand AI's real energy consumption impact in relation to other sources of energy consumption.
Many in the media claim AI is a major threat to climate change due to energy consumption, but what does the evidence say?
The evidence shows that AI consumes just 2.5% of carbon emissions, e.g. a tiny fraction of global energy consumption.
The top sources of energy consumption:
Source: IEA
This shows it's highly misleading of the media to suggest AI as a major source of energy consumption at a mere 2.5%, when seen accurately in context rather than distorted in isolation.
Furthermore, it shows both Industry and Residential properties are the real major threats to climate change, and therefore where the biggest gains are to be made by focussing efforts on the areas of largest carbon emissions, rather than some of the smallest, like AI.
Especially when further considering how AI could actually be a net positive technology for helping solve many climate change issues, it's more accurate to see it as a shield against climate change rather than a threat.
While AI energy use is increasing and we should do all we can to reduce AI energy use for many reasons, it also needs to be seen rationally, honestly, and in context as a tiny fraction of global energy use.
Efforts for energy reduction should be more focused on the real major threats to growing energy consumption, such as industrial and residential energy use.'
Very interesting!
Also I think switching to renewable energy makes this less of an issue anyway.
AI energy usage is only an issue if we have limited energy supply or use fossil fuels. As we transition to using more renewable sources of energy or even nuclear, how much energy is used by AI is I think not really an issue.
AI energy use I’d argue is not a problem when we have abundant renewable energy?
So in a way, the AI energy use isn’t even the fundamental problem now, the problem now is how quick we can transition to renewables. Only if we are slow, or for some reason we don’t transition to renewables is AI energy use an issue. But all major countries are transitioning to renewable energy.
I’d say AI energy use is less of a problem than many others, for example AI energy use is tiny compared to the energy use on transportation or domestic energy.
So I think it’s helpful to understand AI energy use not in isolation which can be misleading, but relative to other uses of energy, which are far worse.
And this is only a temporary problem anyway until we transition to abundant renewable/ nuclear energy 🙂👌
I also believe these issues need to be evaluated together, and you know I’m a big advocate for rapidly advancing AI. 🙂
But from another perspective, I’d like to add this: AI comes with a significant energy demand, and this is something we urgently need to address because it impacts so many other areas.
I wonder, though—are you not concerned about the energy use of AI and the energy requirements tied to its rapid and excessive growth?
No I'm not concerned about AI energy use for 2 key reasons:
- AI energy use is around 2.5% of global energy use, so tiny
- Because energy demand only makes sense in relation to energy supply e.g. being a limited resource and as I highlighted in my previous comment, as we transition to renewables and unlimited renewable/nuclear, when energy is abundant, energy use is not a problem.
I'm far more worried about energy use now by residential which is 26.6% of global energy use, or industry which is 41.9% of global energy use. If we made even small improvements in residential or industry energy use it would save more energy than all AI global energy use easily! This is why I see nothing to worry about with AI energy use, because its tiny compared to other major energy uses. as long as we keep moving to renewables.
For me worrying about AI energy use is a bit like worrying about a mosquito when an elephant is charging towards you! Its about context.
I explained this and showed all this data and more in our article we wrote together? I'll quote one part:
'Context as they say, is everything. While it makes sense for many reasons to reduce the energy consumption of AI systems, we can only accurately understand AI's real energy consumption impact in relation to other sources of energy consumption.
Many in the media claim AI is a major threat to climate change due to energy consumption, but what does the evidence say?
The evidence shows that AI consumes just 2.5% of carbon emissions, e.g. a tiny fraction of global energy consumption.
The top sources of energy consumption:
Source: IEA
This shows it's highly misleading of the media to suggest AI as a major source of energy consumption at a mere 2.5%, when seen accurately in context rather than distorted in isolation.
Furthermore, it shows both Industry and Residential properties are the real major threats to climate change, and therefore where the biggest gains are to be made by focussing efforts on the areas of largest carbon emissions, rather than some of the smallest, like AI.
Especially when further considering how AI could actually be a net positive technology for helping solve many climate change issues, it's more accurate to see it as a shield against climate change rather than a threat.
While AI energy use is increasing and we should do all we can to reduce AI energy use for many reasons, it also needs to be seen rationally, honestly, and in context as a tiny fraction of global energy use.
Efforts for energy reduction should be more focused on the real major threats to growing energy consumption, such as industrial and residential energy use.'
https://www.thefuturai.net/p/solarpunk-and-ai-crafting-a-sustainable