From HEATED: Are your internet habits killing the planet?
Pulling the curtain on AI
Eco-writers often rail against corporations but don’t point out that we’re the ones making them richer than rich. The newsletter I’m sharing here, however, explains the huge climate consequences of the tech companies’ AI investments and has the nerve to point out that this trend is about us, too. And who benefits? The billionaires. We just get dumb-ass clutter in search results and customer “chat” and “service” that make Fawlty Towers look like heaven on earth. ChatGPT costs the earth.
Here is a passage:
And like every climate problem, there is still power in individual choice. The authors of one peer-reviewed study found that changing social norms is just as important to mitigating climate change as the energy transition.
So if you want to be a part of changing social norms around AI, there is a way to do that, too. “You don't need to be like buying all the generative AI products that people are selling,” said Luccioni. “You don't need to buy the latest fridge that has a webcam that you can use to check what you have in your fridge.”
I urge you to read the whole thing.
