How much water does AI consume?
We take a deep dive into AI’s water consumption
As Artificial Intelligence continues to expand rapidly, some people have raised concerns about its potential environmental impact - in particular its use of water, which is used to cool both data centres and the power generators that supply them with electricity.
One recent book on AI contained the alarming prediction that AI could consume between 4 and 6 trillion litres a year by 2027. Could this eye-popping figure be right? If not, what is the correct figure, and is it a big number?
The devil, as ever, is in the detail, and with the help of expert Alex de Vries-Gao, the More or Loss team has taken a deep dive to get to the truth about AI and water consumption.
If you’ve seen a number in the news and you think More or Less should take a look, email the team on moreorless@bbc.co.uk
Presenter: Charlotte McDonald
Producer/reporter: Nathan Gower
Sound engineer: Dave O’Neil
Editor: Richard Vadon
Last on
Broadcasts
- Saturday05:50GMTBBC World Service except Australasia, East and Southern Africa, East Asia & South Asia
- Sunday04:50GMTBBC World Service East and Southern Africa
- Sunday08:50GMTBBC World Service Europe and the Middle East & West and Central Africa only
- Sunday10:50GMTBBC World Service except East and Southern Africa, Europe and the Middle East & West and Central Africa
Download this programme
Subscribe to this programme or download individual episodes.