Recently, ChatGPT was revealed to have surpassed 300 million weekly users, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced the news and believes that number will only rise over time. While this is good news for the booming airliner company, it is expected to have a huge impact on the environment, an expert has told a lecture. The rapid development of generative artificial intelligence will have a harmful impact on the environment.

It is predicted that if sustainability plans are not introduced, the field of artificial intelligence will consume as much energy as Japan within a year.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Australian artificial intelligence expert Professor Kate Crawford, who was recently named to Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in the field of artificial intelligence, warned that these systems are reshaping the earth in hidden but lasting ways. She pointed out that climate change is unavoidable and therefore the top priority is to reduce the global carbon footprint.

"We're under tremendous pressure to work toward decarbonization by mid-century. Climate change is unstoppable. So even for the billionaires in tech, this should be an issue that we should all support because, frankly, we don't have time to waste on building systems that consume as much energy and create as large a carbon footprint as the entire industrial world does. Now is not the time to do that."

Crawford compared ChatGPT queries to natural resource indicators, saying half a liter of water was wasted for each search. This comparison alone suggests that companies should focus not on who is ahead in the AI ​​race but on which entity is more focused on sustainability.

"We have these systems that waste a lot of water, but few people realize it's a big problem. So I personally think the industry's priority should be sustainability, not the AI ​​race. Not the AI ​​race."

The launch of ChatGPT was certainly a "shocking" revelation for competitors and the public alike, but two years after the chatbot's arrival, Crawford believes it's time to see just how useful the service is and what works for humans and what doesn't. Overall, generative AI should be a factor in society’s prosperity rather than causing problems that humanity will eventually have to solve in the coming years.

News source/"Sydney Morning Herald"