🔋Keep AI On Energy
🔋Keep AI On Energy
Artificial intelligence uses a lot of energy, but limiting energy is a limit on freedom and innovation.
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Climate change is one of the top discussions today, especially in the political realm. People often point to specific sectors as opportunities to decarbonize. Using lower emissions energy sources to power the grid, using electric or hybrid vehicles for transportation, and perhaps hydrogen for various purposes are popular avenues discussed. In addition to changes in the current system, people also like to criticize new technologies that may use fossil fuels and don’t align with certain climate goals.
One such technology that I’ve discussed in depth previously is Bitcoin. While not the focus of this piece, it has been on the receiving end of some intense criticism for its energy requirements. Bitcoin requires large data centers to run specialized processors that “mine” Bitcoin. This of course uses a lot of electricity, which many point to be a waste and could contribute to climate change as it grows. I’ve discussed how Bitcoin’s energy usage is a rounding error on the global stage, it is one of the industries with one of the lowest emissions profiles, and can take advantage of wasted energy. Even if Bitcoin were to be taken up by billions of people, it would likely only encompass 1% of global energy. Currently, it is minuscule compared to the other key sectors of the economy.
The latest technology to captivate the public eye is artificial intelligence (AI). Like Bitcoin miners, companies have large data centers with the processors required to support the large amount of computation involved. AI is poised for growth globally as new developments continue to be released which can be seen in the Google Trends data as well as represented in the rise of the Nvidia stock price if you check the 5-year chart. AI has similarly come under scrutiny from an energy consumption point of view.
One estimate suggests that by 2027 AI could be using as much as 85-134TWh of electricity which would be near the 79TWh Bitcoin uses today. This source has a track record of overestimating Bitcoin energy consumption, but to give him the benefit of the doubt maybe his models have improved in the last few years.
AI is an umbrella term representing lots of uses with the extent to which it penetrates our daily lives in the future left unknown. I’m not an expert on the technical details, but some of the applications include science, finance, marketing, autonomous vehicles, virtual assistants, and more. It can also be used to help the energy industry by improving geological exploration for oil/gas/geothermal/mining, helping utilities optimize and increase the efficiency of the grid, and predicting weather patterns. There is a call to be careful about the energy use that AI will bring.
If not managed properly, AI could be responsible for as much electricity consumption as Bitcoin is today in just a few years’ time. - Digiconomist
What a shame that would be. Should we ban AI altogether because it may reach 0.1% of global energy consumption in a few years? I couldn’t do the math and could be wrong, but there’s a chance the efficiency improvements in time and energy across the various applications cover a significant chunk of that energy consumed. The trend is that more powerful and more energy-efficient processors will continue to be released over time as well, continuing the efficiency improvements.
There are more and more questions raised about using energy for things at all nowadays, but what’s wrong with energy use? Human endeavors throughout our evolution involved harnessing energy and putting it to better use to make life better and easier. Whether it be fire, animals, machinery, engines, transportation, medical devices, etc. Everything awesome in the world was possible with higher forms of energy and that energy allowed time and resources for creating innovation.
It is easy to point to the limits of new technology, its potential wasted uses, and the economic/environmental harm it may cause. At the end of the day, people will mess up and waste resources on their way to success, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t let them. This is part of the scientific endeavor of pushing the limits, failing, and going in new directions. Eventually, the technology will play out and be groundbreaking or not, taking into account or overcoming limitations.
Some people are also scared of AI and its potential to outcompete humans, especially with Elon Musk seriously warning about it. Any tool can be used for good or evil, but that does not mean it has to be or must be banned by governments. People may seek the government to gain control or influence, but ultimately technological revolutions will supersede government restrictions.
Just like the environment shouldn’t be a reason to limit freedom, it shouldn’t be a reason to limit technology either. AI can run on zero-emission sources of energy today through nuclear, renewable, or hydropower. Further, the benefit of AI may outweigh the environmental impact even if it operates on fossil fuels. In the long run, the free market will allow the best technologies will be used. Remember that without intervention, we may not even be worrying about greenhouse gas emissions right now.
A call to action to be mindful of energy use and how it relates to climate change is fine. Discussion, debate, trial, and error is how progress is made. Once it goes into the realm of calling for limits and regulations based on climate is a different story. To limit technology through energy usage is to limit a form of human freedom. Whether the energy used for AI, Bitcoin, TikTok, your home, or your car is worthwhile is for individuals to decide, not any one organization or government. Worrying about the energy consumption of new technology is not an issue. If people truly cared they could go after harmful and wasteful legacy institutions like parts of government, finance, and others that dwarf the energy consumption of encouraging new technology. Until next week,
-Grayson
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