Hi Friend –

Most people think of the internet as being “in the cloud” somewhere, existing in a world far away from our own. But did you know that just one ChatGPT request is the equivalent of pouring out a bottle of water and powering a standard household light bulb for 15 minutes?

Multiply that by billions of requests, and you start to understand the cumulative effects that AI technologies are beginning to have on our environment.

For the second of our video series on the present harms of AI, we’ve teamed up with the Piedmont Environmental Council, Sierra Club, and local groups in Virginia to sound the alarm on the ways in which the widespread adoption of AI is likely to accelerate the climate crisis. Data centers are already the single largest category of commercial power users in northern Virginia, consuming more than 21% of the total electricity supply – and this number is projected to hit 50% by 2038. [1]

Help call attention to AI’s present-day harms to our environment by watching and sharing this new video on your favorite platform linked below:

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The core issue here is that AI technologies require a truly massive amount of computing power, which is fueling the growth of data centers popping up across the country and consuming more energy and clean water. This means that more coal plants have to stay online to supply this energy. [2]

AI’s rapid growth and integration into society will accelerate the climate crisis. It’s up to us to call attention to the present-day harms of this new technology to ensure our elected leaders prioritize putting our public interests — especially the interests of our planet’s sustainability — above protecting corporate profits.

Thank you for helping us spread the word today,

Nicole Gill
Co-founder and Executive Director
Accountable Tech

We see the irony of asking you to take action on the same platforms we’re fighting to hold accountable, but they are… well… dominant. We have to reach people where they are in order to level the playing field -- and we’re ready to bring the fight right to their own platforms.

Sources

1. Virginia Mercury: Why are taxpayers footing Virginia’s data center buildout

2. Washington Post: Internet data centers are fueling drive to old power source: Coal

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