Member-only story
Your Cat GIFs Are Drying Up the River (And It’s Not Even Funny)
Listen, I love a well-timed cat GIF as much as the next person.
But can we all agree something’s deeply wrong when your meme habit is contributing to water scarcity? Because that’s where we’re at, folks, thanks to our shiny new AI toys.
You think I’m exaggerating?
Take a look at the numbers. Turns out those data centers — you know, the ones powering your virtual assistants and self-important search engines — are sucking up water like it’s going out of style.
We’re not just talking a few extra gallons here and there. Think Olympic swimming pools of water to train a single AI model. Suddenly, your weekly bubble bath looks like the pinnacle of eco-friendliness.
Don’t think it affects you directly?
Remember that Google data center in The Dalles, Oregon?
The one gobbling up enough water to strain local resources? Yeah, that’s the price we pay for having AI that can generate vaguely amusing knock-knock jokes.
Of course, the tech giants will assure you they’re all about that “water replenishment.” A bit rich, considering Microsoft’s water…
