Artificial intelligence is an invention that is revolutionizing the way we use digital technology. It can produce, upon our simple request, unique images or texts, allowing hundreds of people to find the answers to their questions.
But if artificial intelligence is a fantastic tool, offering a limitless range of possibilities, it is not the perfect solution, and the other side of the coin does exist. Indeed, AI pollutes.
It pollutes enormously. According to a study recently published by researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and colleagues from the University of Cambridge, between 1.2 and 5 billion tonnes of electronic waste will be produced by AI in the next decade.
Waging war on WEEE
In their report, to be found in the scientific journal Nature Computational Science, the scientists show that this pollution is equivalent to that of 20 billion smartphones, or 10 billion iPhones. For comparison, there will be just over 8.5 billion smartphones in circulation in the world today.
This waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) today consists of household appliances, screens and smartphones that are no longer in use. But in a few years, WEEE will mainly be cards and chips for computers.
The components of a computer are not eternal and the development of artificial intelligence will consume hundreds of millions of them every year. However, these products have a considerable impact on the planet. As the Ministry of Ecology website points out, WEEE is generally composed of mercury or greenhouse gases. The environmental consequences of manufacturing such devices are enormous.
AI is developing, so is its pollution
According to the study, the problem already exists today. In 2023, artificial intelligence would have generated 2,600 tonnes of WEEE. A figure that could be multiplied by 1000 in the coming years if no measures are taken to limit the environmental impact of AI.
But scientists aren’t leaving the world without answers. In their study they propose several alternative solutions, to limit the growth of WEEE from 16 to 86% by 2030. They propose in particular to reuse computer devices for other uses, in order to extend their life expectancy.
The circular economy must be at the heart of the “generative artificial intelligence value chain” according to researchers to reduce the production of this electronic waste as much as possible. This new vision of things, more responsible for the environment, must nevertheless be followed by everyone, to have a chance of significantly impacting the world of artificial intelligence.