The hidden cost of the AI boom: social and environmental exploitation
Mainstream conversations about artificial intelligence (AI) have been dominated by a few key concerns, such as whether superintelligent AI will wipe us out, or whether AI will steal our jobs.
- Mainstream conversations about artificial intelligence (AI) have been dominated by a few key concerns, such as whether superintelligent AI will wipe us out, or whether AI will steal our jobs.
- But we’ve paid less attention the various other environmental and social impacts of our “consumption” of AI, which are arguably just as important.
Environmental impacts of AI use
- And although AI is currently estimated to contribute less than 1% of total carbon emissions, the AI market size is predicted to grow ninefold by 2030.
- Data centres use water towers to cool the on-site servers where AI models are trained and deployed.
- In a preprint published this year, Pengfei Li and colleagues presented a methodology for gauging the water footprint of AI models.
- They did this in response to a lack of transparency in how companies evaluate the water footprint associated with using and training AI.
Social impacts of AI use
- This is typically outsourced to independent contractors who face precarious work conditions in low-income countries, leading to “digital sweatshop” criticisms.
- Left unchecked, AI has the potential to be used to manipulate public opinion, and by extension could undermine democratic processes.
- The large-scale adoption of AI has the potential to worsen global wealth inequality.
Are there solutions?
- Future generative AI models could be designed to use significantly less energy, but it’s hard to say whether they will be.
- These would help users understand and compare the impacts of specific AI services, allowing them to choose those which have been certified.
- China has also published rules on the use of generative AI, requiring security assessments for products offering services to the public.
- Read more:
EU approves draft law to regulate AI – here's how it will workAscelin Gordon is employed by RMIT University.