IET sounds warning on AI doll trend

The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) is sounding the alarm on the environmental consequences of generative artificial intelligence (AI) trends, as the latest fad of being transformed into pocket-sized dolls and action figures gains momentum.

Despite the surge in doll figures appearing on social timelines, IET statistics reveal that a mere 16% of people are aware of the environmental toll associated with AI usage. Cooling the servers that power AI demands substantial water resources, with estimates indicating that ChatGPT consumes over one 500ml bottle of water per 100-word request*. Shockingly, nearly one-third of the population remains unaware of AI's water consumption, mistakenly believing that crafting a 100-word email requires no water.

While AI creations can be entertaining, they come with significant environmental and financial costs, which will only escalate as AI adoption grows

Positively, 60% of respondents would reduce their usage if they became aware of the significant energy usage to run a request – but as AI trends continue to grow, more awareness is needed.