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Tools for clearer thinking

AI Water & Energy Converter

Use this tool to better understand the environmental impact of personal AI usage by comparing it to everday things that people can more easily relate to. The estimates are based on currently available research cited below and can be toggled between a pessimistic, neutral, or optimistic calculation. Sam Altman's cited consumption data is used as the "optimistic" viewpoint.

Key Points

1. For most people, the impact of using AI is likely to be insignificant in comparison to other lifestyle factors. However, for those who use AI heavily, the impact can be much more significant. This may change in the future.

2. Reducing or opting out of eating meat (especially beef) and voting for candidates who prioritize environmental issues are by far the most impactful things the average American can do.

3. Even with lifestyle changes though, preventing long-term ecological collapse is mostly dependent on corporations and governments making necessary changes. Their prioritization of non-renewable energy sources account for the vast majority of global emissions. We must demand action.

4. Data centers accounted for only 1.5% of the world's electricity consumption in 2024, of which AI usage is merely a subset along with other internet-related activities. This percentage is expected to grow as AI usage increases, and data centers are projected to become more efficient and rely more on renewable energy sources.

Important Note

Determining the environmental impact of personal AI usage is complex and depends on factors such as model version, configuration, query length, data center efficiency, and regional energy sources. This tool is a work in progress and feedback is appreciated to help improve the accuracy and usefulness of the tool.

Further Reading

• Sustainability by Numbers - Carbon Footprint of ChatGPT (2025)
• UC Riverside - Making AI Less "Thirsty" (2023)
• Sustainability by Numbers - AI Energy Demand (2025)

Data Sources

• Sam Altman - The Gentle Singularity (2025)
• Pew Research - How the U.S. Public and AI Experts View Artificial Intelligence (2025)
• Washington Post - Energy and Water Usage of AI (2024)
• International Energy Agency - Energy and AI Report (2025)
• Electricity Calculator
• Edmunds - How Much Electricity Does an EV Use?
• Epoch AI - How Much Energy Does ChatGPT Use? (2025)
• EPA WaterSense - Household Water Use
• EIA - Electricity Use in Homes

Contact & Feedback

You can reach out on Bluesky or open an issue on GitHub.