{"id":69821,"date":"2025-04-29T08:24:36","date_gmt":"2025-04-28T20:24:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/?p=69821"},"modified":"2025-04-29T08:24:42","modified_gmt":"2025-04-28T20:24:42","slug":"the-true-cost-of-ai-romance-a-4-5-fold-increase-in-emissions-in-one-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/story\/the-true-cost-of-ai-romance-a-4-5-fold-increase-in-emissions-in-one-year\/","title":{"rendered":"The true cost of AI romance: A 4.5-fold increase in emissions in one year"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Recall the scene from the film Her (2013)<\/em><\/a> when Theodore meets his AI lover, Samantha, in the cloud and they embark on a romance through endless conversations. While this fantastical story unfolds, there is an element that perhaps few have considered \u2014 what is the environmental cost of our growing AI-dependence?<\/p>\n\n

\"Poster
Poster from the 2013 American science fiction romantic comedy-drama film Her.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n


Her<\/em> remains a work of fiction \u2013 for now. But as our reliance on AI grows, so does the technology\u2019s carbon footprint. AI is fueling a very real increase in fossil fuel burning<\/a>, including coal and gas. Without action from tech corporations<\/a> like Nvidia, Microsoft and Google, our climate and our lungs will pay the price. 

The energy-intensive nature of data centers has sparked widespread discussion. However, when we look at the other side of the story, the GHG emissions from AI chip manufacturing have skyrocketed more than <\/strong>4.5 times<\/strong><\/a> in just one year, from 2023-2024<\/strong>. Even more alarming is that East Asia specifically, is heavily bearing the brunt of this climate crisis, as it sits at the heart of the AI chip supply chain. As the digital revolution accelerates, so too does its hidden environmental cost\u2014along with the return of ineffective solutions\u2014an issue that demands urgent attention.<\/p>\n\n

\n