AI could use 3% of world’s electricity, as much water as 1.3 billion people by 2030, UN report warns

One argument often used to quell concerns about the rising energy and resource demand of data centres is that artificial intelligence (AI) models will need less in the future as they improve and become more efficient.

But this seemingly logical thinking is a trap, according to a new United Nations report that quantifies the environmental costs of AI.

The report estimates that by 2030, AI’s energy use could double to consume 3 per cent of the world’s electricity, produce emissions equal to the UK and deplete more water for cooling than the annual drinking water needs of the global population.