The environmental impact of AI

Which of the following best explains the disproportionate resource intensity of an AI query compared to a standard Google search?

• Because AI queries require accessing obscure offline datasets unavailable to traditional search engines.
  

• Because AI queries involve training new models each time a user enters a prompt.

• Because AI queries demand the processing of vast datasets and the generation of conversational outputs rather than providing simple link lists.
  

• Because AI queries rely exclusively on quantum computing infrastructure.

Why is the environmental footprint of AI assistants particularly concerning in relation to their reliance on GPUs?

• Because GPUs are designed for entertainment purposes and not suitable for large-scale data analysis.
  

• Because GPUs depend on rare earth elements, the extraction of which is often environmentally destructive.
  

• Because GPUs consume less energy than CPUs but are less recyclable

• Because GPUs cannot perform the rapid information retrieval required by AI systems

What is the primary reason water consumption in data centers is problematic despite Earth being covered mostly by water?

• Because ocean desalination has already solved the issue of freshwater scarcity.

• Because most water on Earth is inaccessible due to being chemically unstable.

• Because less than 1% of Earth’s water is suitable for human use, and it is already demanded by agriculture and industry.

• Because atmospheric water condensation provides sufficient replacement for what data centers consume.

Why do AI-driven data centers significantly exacerbate carbon emissions compared to traditional computing infrastructure?

• Because AI requires continuous retraining of models regardless of user demand.

• Because AI models depend exclusively on renewable energy, which paradoxically increases emissions during production.

• Because their massive electricity needs are mostly met through fossil fuels, leading to intensified CO₂ output.

• Because AI models emit chemical waste by-products in addition to carbon emissions.

Why does the adoption of AI at scale face stricter societal resistance compared to the widespread acceptance of technologies like cars or the internet?

• Because AI systems are programmed to operate only within narrow ethical boundaries.

• Because AI technologies are significantly more expensive than automobiles or early internet services.

• Because public expectations of machine reliability are higher, so even rare failures provoke disproportionate scrutiny.

• Because AI technologies lack the scalability to integrate into existing industries effectively.

Which of the following reflects a realistic way AI could mitigate its own environmental impact?

• By directly neutralizing CO₂ emissions through algorithmic recalibration.

• By supporting systems such as oil spill detection, plastic sorting, and deforestation tracking that improve environmental management.

• By eliminating the need for industrial agriculture and manufacturing altogether.

• By halting the construction of new data centers in emerging economies.