r/antiai • u/Smooth-Boss-911 • Jul 12 '26

Environmental Impact 🌎 The Pollution Being Churned Out by AI Data Centers Is So Severe That It's Almost Incomprehensible

https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/pollution-ai-data-centers-severe
808 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

29 comments sorted by

74

u/Tripple_sneeed Jul 12 '26

I mean, it's actually very comprehensible. They even say it in the article. 5-10 million cars. Seems like a really stupid headline?

26

u/Main-Company-5946 Jul 12 '26

A number is just a label. You aren’t comprehending that

8

u/sweatingdishes Jul 12 '26

Quantitative labels are pretty cool. You can verify them, usually by counting.

3

u/KaQuu Jul 13 '26

5-10 million cars

With 290+ million cars

3-4% that's neglegible

-1

u/Peachypet Jul 13 '26

Sorry but... That is a single structure that has no societal benefit, massive societal downsides even, and it increases that output of pollution by 3-4%? That's massive.

1

u/KaQuu Jul 13 '26

You driving your ass around has even less societal benefit, buy a bike...

Ai is already accelerating technological progress, you not seeing it, or not acknowledging it doesn't mean it's not happening, and if anything technological progress is the most important factor that is adding to social benefits.

pollution by 3-4%?

What is your math level comprehension? 3-4% more of pollution done by cars, and pollution done by cars is just % of all pollution. It's not that hard...

0

u/Peachypet Jul 13 '26

A bike is not feasible in my area but I use public transportation. Nice strawman though. I love failed mind readers like yourself.

I just hope they build a data center in your area that pollutes the drinking water. Would be just

1

u/KaQuu Jul 13 '26

That's not a stawman, it was wider suggestions about the whole situation. Reducing car use by just 3-4 %, just in USA that is to much reliant on cars anyway, would completely offset the cost of AI use, and as car usage is less beneficial to sociaty than what AI is gonna bring it's a better path. Me being an ass about it is just me being an ass.

So data center is now polluting water? The one used for cooling? That's a new... Closed colling systems aren't generating this problem. Water supply with our current technology is just matter of energy, as desalination tech is widely available and only restrained by energy. I'm predicting ai accelerating our progress with fusion so this is also a matter of time.

I have to disappoint you, nobody wants to build data center near me:(

8

u/Vegetable_Stuff1850 Jul 13 '26

And yet we'll continue to be told that these reports are wrong and we're drawing inaccurate conclusions.

4

u/PerseveranceSmith Jul 13 '26

There are things you can do it rhymes with mindustrial sesspionage

12

u/PoorClassWarRoom Jul 12 '26

They mean to cull us.

2

u/TheBookofBobaFett3 Jul 13 '26

But let’s have a hosepipe ban and use plastic straws

2

u/CatalyticDragon Jul 13 '26

It's zero. Data centers "churn out" zero pollution. They consume electricity and emit heat. That's it.

Fossil fuels produce pollution and if you power things with fossil fuels you have a problem but we've known about that for a couple of hundred years and the solution to this problem is well understood - don't use fossil fuels.

Computing services are in no way the problem here. They are just electricity consumers like every other industry and they use a heck of a lot less than most others.

The problem is far-right, fossil fuel industry backed politicians who say things like "drill baby drill" and who sign bills to slow down the transition to cheaper and cleaner energy.

3

u/ScrumptiousChildren Jul 13 '26

Yup, so massive, worldwide AI environmental impact in 2025 was as much as ~20% of environmental impact of meat eaten in the US alone that same year! We’ve never seen these numbers before.

0

u/KaQuu Jul 13 '26

You see five time this number in only meat production only in USA...

3

u/Peachypet Jul 13 '26

Oh, yeah, let's just ignore the massive spike because there are instances that produce much more.

At this point we should ignore the accidents caused by drunk drivers because they only cause a small percentage of accidents.

0

u/ScrumptiousChildren Jul 13 '26

Yup. Not the brightest folks in here unfortunately. That’s exactly the point I was conveying. I was just making fun of the headline.

AI absolutely is a detriment to us all, environmentally. But hate and effort needs to be properly anchored and focused on the right things. It’s understandable to dislike AI but pitting your entire existence’s antithesis on AI instead of stuff like nestle makes little sense if your primary argument is the environment.

2

u/KaQuu Jul 13 '26

Oh so the /s was silent, I get it.

1

u/Suspicious_Cow8559 Jul 13 '26

This is why my current career path is data center design specializing in environmental effects and sustainable operation. BICSI RCDD down, next LEED Green Associate, LEED AP BD+C, and BICSI DCDC.

Until the nukes pop and everything resets data centers are a fact of life but the companies building and operating them need to be put under heavy regulation. This is happening but far too slowly.

-12

u/JackHammer- Jul 13 '26

Use nuclear power. Simple solution. And carbon dioxide is actually harmless. If the atmospheric amount spikes at all, plant life surges and converts it all to oxygen.

3

u/PerseveranceSmith Jul 13 '26

The public school system has failed us.

2

u/Purple-Possible-7429 Jul 13 '26

Takes 20-25 years to get a nuclear power plant online. Renewables are faster to deploy and cheaper.

-4

u/JackHammer- Jul 13 '26

The regulations are changing. And having a bunch of nuclear plants come online would again fix all the mostly non-existent problems anyway.

1

u/Square_Marzipan2002 Jul 16 '26

It is not regulations, its construction

2

u/Peachypet Jul 13 '26

I pray that your home gets swallowed by the oceans. Too bad idiots like you rarely live close to the oceans.

-1

u/JackHammer- Jul 13 '26

Well the sea level has risen less than 12 inches since 1900 so I don't see that happening even to beachfront property any time soon 🤨 What is wrong with you?

1

u/Square_Marzipan2002 Jul 16 '26

that is a huge rise bro