this post was submitted on 19 Dec 2025
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Fuck AI

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AI, in this case, refers to LLMs, GPT technology, and anything listed as "AI" meant to increase market valuations.

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In a study published on Monday by the peer-reviewed journal Patterns, data scientist Alex de Vries-Gao estimated the carbon emissions from electricity used by AI at between 33 million and 80 million metric tons.

That higher figure would put it above last year's totals for Chile (78m tons), Czechia (78m tons), Romania (71m tons), and New York City (48m tons, including both CO2 and other greenhouse gases).

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[–] FreddiesLantern@leminal.space 5 points 6 days ago

Oh well, humanity has had a good run. Beep boop.

[–] brownsugga@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago

At what point do people just start sabotaging these things? Datacenters and AI may represent things that only exist virtually but they must exist in our physical world as well

Man, I was just arguing this fact with a couple of absolute doorknobs who were using a blog post as evidence that it is all overblown. XD

[–] BetaBlake@lemmy.world 37 points 1 week ago

Welp that's unsustainable.

Hastening the future water wars

[–] Randomgal@lemmy.ca 23 points 1 week ago (2 children)
[–] Xanthrax@lemmy.world 32 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

Evaporated for cooling I'm guessing

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/techland/the-hidden-bottleneck-of-ai-data-centers-water

There's closed loop and immersion (paraphrasing the article), so it's just a guess.

[–] flango@lemmy.eco.br 34 points 1 week ago

Not only that, datacenters pollute water with pfas (forever chemicals), making it unsafe to drink.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/oct/04/pfas-pollution-data-centers-ai

[–] Ludicrous0251@piefed.zip 7 points 1 week ago

Confession: I haven't read the OP but a lot of data center studies include the water associated with power generation, which is usually a similar order of magnitude to the cooling water loss.

[–] muffedtrims@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] Randomgal@lemmy.ca 9 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Me too, but I pee the water. You know?

[–] ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world 1 points 5 days ago

Have you considered not peeing, so that hustlebros can set up a Python script to feed popular art tags into an image generator, so they can have a passive income through Patreon?

[–] MeThisGuy@feddit.nl 3 points 1 week ago

cool the data centers with piss, ingenious!

and then they can make gun powder with the leftovers so they can fight their war within.

[–] CubitOom@infosec.pub 17 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Its not like water is a human right.

[–] RustyShackleford@piefed.social 48 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world 2 points 5 days ago

I updated your meme to current day.

[–] leftzero@lemmy.dbzer0.com 15 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Have we considered burning them down..?

[–] quick_snail@feddit.nl 1 points 6 days ago

That's good for the environment /s

[–] ohulancutash@feddit.uk 10 points 1 week ago

Whyyyy? Tap’s far cheaper. I think these techies are just dumb.

[–] bridgeenjoyer@sh.itjust.works 8 points 1 week ago (10 children)

Is this actually true?

A lot of people dont think there is a big impact of using llms vs having a gaming pc or heating your house...its just another waste of the modern world that humanity will figure out how to manage, like rebuilding the grid (which has to be done anyway)

Let me clarify, I hate llms and every corporation pushing this shit, but let's be sure we are getting mad about correct data.

[–] BCOVertigo@lemmy.world 23 points 1 week ago (1 children)

They acknowledge that they're forced to estimate because companies are intentionally unclear with the data.

From the study

"The lack of distinction between AI and non-AI workloads in the environmental reports of data center operators means it is possible to assess the environmental impact of AI workloads only by approximating them through data centers’ general performance metrics. Company-wide metrics from the environmental disclosure of data center operators suggest that AI systems may have a carbon footprint equivalent to that of New York City in 2025, while their water footprint could be in the range of the global annual consumption of bottled water. Further disclosures from data center operators are urgently required to improve the accuracy of these estimates and to responsibly manage the growing environmental impact of AI systems."

[–] bridgeenjoyer@sh.itjust.works 21 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Its quite shady. These plants have thousands of meters and transmitters tracking everything, including water usage.

Why is that data not avilable to us?

Also, idgaf if its ai related or data center related. Its all bad in my book. Theyre boiling the oceans to serve me a personalized ad.

Ah, capitalism.

[–] real_squids@sopuli.xyz 18 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

If your gaming pc is using as much power as a house heater you have a massive problem lol

I gotta admit though, 300W from my PC (at peak load) is plenty to keep myself and my room comfortable. And unlike heaters you get to play videogames at the same time

[–] WorldsDumbestMan@lemmy.today 1 points 6 days ago

Meanwhile, I can charge my tablet within about a hour on a portable solar charger, it shows no heat as far as I'm aware, and I rarely need other electronics.

[–] bridgeenjoyer@sh.itjust.works 8 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Haven't you seen, its now possible to play doom on your home thermostat!

[–] Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago

Ah yes. Blast the demons from hell as your thermostat raises your house's tempature to make it hot as hell in your home.

That's called immersion.

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[–] danc4498@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago (3 children)

Anybody watching pluribus right now?

[–] dickalan@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

Yummy yummy protein

[–] Fredselfish@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] danc4498@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

Just feel some similarities. AI taking all the resource. The hive starving themselves

[–] cyberpunk007@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 week ago

Ya I keep thinking of this too lol.

[–] Darkness343@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Meanwhile, china is making fusion reactors.

The west has fallen

[–] lemmyausmister@feddit.org 1 points 6 days ago

No, they are doing research...

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