Artificial intelligence has become a common tool in schools, workplaces and technology. As its use continues to grow, questions have also emerged about the amount of water and electricity required to power the data centers that support AI systems.
Some students believe AI can continue to benefit society while its environmental impact is addressed.
Vivian Verdin, senior business administration major, considered how society could respond to the growing use of AI.
“I don’t think we should prevent it. I think we could find ways to structure it,” Verdin said.
Verdin also considered the broader effects of frequent AI use.
“Since we’re using it so often, it definitely causes a lot of environmental concerns happening around us. A lot of us are not very aware of it too,” Verdin said.
AI systems rely on data centers that require water for cooling and electricity to operate. Tools such as ChatGPT and Gemini are among the platforms supported by this infrastructure.
Korey Kemper, sophomore biology major, said the environmental effects of AI could extend beyond technology itself.
“I just think it’ll definitely negatively affect society if AI is taking water from like the farmers,” Kemper said.
Kemper also considered how increased competition for resources could affect consumers.
“If it’s a major impact, I’m sure food prices would probably go up because of that. Maybe even water bottles from the store would probably be more expensive as well,” Kemper said.
Data centers also require significant amounts of electricity to operate. The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy cited data from the International Energy Agency when examining the energy demands of conventional and AI-focused data centers.
“A conventional data center… draws as much electricity as 10,000 to 25,000 households,” according to the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, citing the International Energy Agency. “But a newer, AI-focused ‘hyperscale’ data center can use as much power as 100,000 homes or more.”
Water consumption is another concern associated with data center operations.
“Even a mid-sized data center consumes as much water as a small town, while larger ones require up to 5 million gallons of water every day, as much as a city of 50,000 people,” according to the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.
As AI continues to develop, its growing demand for resources has raised questions about how the technology can be used more sustainably. Students such as Verdin see an opportunity to consider ways AI can continue to be used while addressing its environmental impact.
