this post was submitted on 02 Oct 2025
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These figures are too cherry picked for the shock value. You could go the opposite end and say that (these are all true, I've tried my best to research them):
8.5 Wh (average of all daily queries for a user) is also...
850 MWh (whole consumption of all AI queries in the world) is also equivalent to...
So yes - AI bad... But for other reasons. This is a diversion. Datacentres powered by coal are bad. Cruise ships are worse.
The problem isn't that the whole world needs less than a solar farm's worth of energy for AI. The bigger problem is the social damage of AI - including the fact that this "expansion at all costs" is justifying getting that energy from non-renewable sources.
But seriously, one single cruise ship uses more energy than all of the AI in the world. They serve no useful purpose and there are hundreds of those.
Cargo ships are even worse. The amount they pollute is staggering to such a degree that I'm glad trade between the USA and China is strained.
Cargo ships are getting way more efficient and less polluting. I work on container ships which have a capacity ranging from 14k to 20k teu.
Imagine transporting these many containers from 1 continent to another via trucks. The amount of pollution they would be emitting on land.
There are strict regulations in place regarding emission. Now with the introduction of dual-fuel ships, they are going to be more environmental friendly.
It's a concept of the past that cargo ships are pollution factories.
I didn't quite understand the abbreviation "teu", so I searched for it, and it seems it means "twenty-foot equivalent unit", for anyone interested.
Thank you mate. You are a gem.
Genuinely glad to hear they're improving.
Yes my friend.
Also in recent years, huge push for renewable energy from EU, China, India etc. is a step in right direction. It may take time for the world to consume less coal and petroleum, but in the meantime production from renewable source will only increase.
Long way to go, but we are on right path. Maybe our children's get to see a good future.