AI feels weightless, but it’s thirsty: UC Riverside researchers estimated training GPT-3 evaporated roughly 700,000 litres of freshwater on-site, and that 10–50 medium-length GPT-3 replies ‘drink’ about a 500ml bottle — with estimates swinging widely by location
· space daily editorial team
AI Briefing
- • Researchers estimated 700,000 litres of freshwater evaporated during GPT-3 training at UC Riverside.
- • 10-50 medium-length GPT-3 replies estimate 500ml of water per 'drink'.
- • Estimates vary widely by location, affecting the reported environmental cost.
Source Summary
A chatbot reply arrives as text on a screen, with nothing about it to suggest weight, heat, or water, yet the most quoted number in the debate over AI’s environmental cost runs the other way. A 2023 study from the University of California, Riverside estimated that running GPT-3 through ten to fifty medium-length replies uses [...] The post AI feels weightless, but it’s thirsty: UC Riverside researchers estimated training GPT-3 evaporated roughly 700,000 litres of freshwater on-site, and that 10–50 medium-length GPT-3 replies ‘drink’ about a 500ml bottle — with estimates swinging widely by location appeared first on Space Daily .
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