Your next AI query could cost more than just server space. You’re indirectly using gallons of water whenever you ask an AI chatbot to summarize a legal text or imagine an image. Two-thirds of newly built data centers are in regions with severe water shortages, which makes your AI usage a hidden environmental problem.
There’s a race between Google and Microsoft to balance their AI expansion plans with sustainable water use. We’re having a global debate on the true cost of our tech-driven future as AI booms. Next time ChatGPT seems slow, maybe it’s just taking a water break.
Bonus: Take a look at the 2024 United States Data Center Energy Usage Report.
