Privilege of AI Over Water

Almost everyone who knows me knows that I try to avoid artificial intelligence at all costs. I have my reasons for it, but the main one has to be the environmental impacts of it all. Every single time someone enters a prompt it can use anywhere from five drops to half a liter. But that doesn’t even include generative prompts, those are just asking a simple question that you’d typically ask Google. Yet, since I can remember, there has been a water shortage; in fact, historically it’s been a documented shortage since the 20th century. Since the 1900’s, the water scarcity crisis has increased by 16 times. Sixteen. Times. We’ve been going from not enough to less and less every year. 

And as someone who was raised on movies like Wall-E, I don’t understand the “sacrifice worth making” when it comes to using water for AI. I grew up doing Earth Day projects on the importance of water. I learned about how we must turn our faucets off while we brush our teeth, to only water plants on days that didn’t rain, and to reuse our water every chance we can get. I also remember my school hosting fundraisers for Flint, Michigan, volunteering with clubs that would do lake clean ups, and even helping with water reserve projects for Africa and Western Asia. Am I the only one who remembers all of these projects, lessons, and events? When did we as a society forget how essential such a scarce element truly is? When did we decide to turn a blind eye to the issue just so we can have personal gain? 

It saddens me to know that there are people across the world who don’t know where or when their next glass of water is coming from, or if it’ll even be clean or drinkable, while others are generating images of their pets as humans. The extreme difference gives me whiplash, yet when I explain this to other people all I’m faced with is eye rolls and being told that I need to lighten up. How am I supposed to explain to that person that the only reason why they don’t care about the water they use for AI vs the families who are dying from dehydration is geographic luck? We didn’t “earn” more water than those in other places of the world. We simply won the unjust and unfair lottery of geographic luck. And as someone who is privileged enough to live in the Mid-West, I am a prime example of winning that geographic lottery. 

I am lucky to live next to one of the Great Lakes, the same lakes that are in charge of 20-21% of the entire world’s freshwater supply. However, even with the abundance of freshwater being accessible to me at all times, never once did I take it for granted. Never once did I forget those in a less fortunate situation. So, when AI was released to the public, I too was curious, but the instant I found out about the environmental impact, especially that of water usage, I never touched it again. The only time I do is if it’s required for a class and the professor will not let me be exempt. I would rather do a few extra hours of work than take such an essential element away from those who need it to survive. I can take a few more hours. I can struggle and problem-solve. I can afford the time and struggle because I am privileged enough to do so. But the people who haven’t had water in days? No, they cannot afford the same. 

It’s a harsh reality to face, but that feeling of despair means we haven’t lost our humanity yet. Wanting to do better, making changes every day, and caring instead of turning a blind eye just because it’s hard means there’s still hope. While we should be doing so much more, hope is truly the only thing standing between us and a doomed world. Hope that we can reverse the negative impacts we’ve made as humans. Hope that we can care for all people around the world equally no matter how different. Hope that we are still humans with humanity.

I hope, more than anyone, that you think twice the next time you use AI.

Love, Ariana