Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the way we work, the way we live, and the way we connect with the world around us. Companies around the world are debating the best ways to implement AI within the workplace and events industry. AI is used to create conference programs, personalize attendee experiences, and streamline event operations. But amid all the innovation and efficiency, do we overlook one important aspect?
The growing impact of AI on the environment
The rapid growth of artificial intelligence increases environmental costs. Research from the University of California, Riverside and the University of Texas at Arlington shows that AI data centers consume around 2% of their electricity worldwide. The International Energy Agency predicts that this demand will more than double by 2030, with AI as a major contributor. You can see the rectangle in electricity usage at the Ai-Optimised Center alone.
AI environmental fees exceed energy usage. Data centers also use large amounts of water, especially for training stages and cooling servers. Most of the energy used by the server changes to heat and requires a water-based cooling system. The same study estimates that conversations of 20-50 questions with an AI chatbot can consume water equivalent to 500 ml of water. Laura Kantor, founder of Marketing Company Climate Club, helps businesses grow their businesses focused on sustainability.
She said: “It falls into the same category as Mindless scrolling and streaming on your phone. Everything rarely sacrifices, but with AI, it feels even lower than that, because it feels “invisible.”
Laura makes a conscious effort to be more mindful in ways that use AI by asking more concise questions and using them only when necessary. She said: “I have my own rules. If I’m good at doing it myself, if I can do it myself, I’ll use AI to help if I lose confidence, like coding or technical research.”
These demands pose challenges for businesses pursuing net zero goals. According to an article in The Guardian, Google has seen an emissions increase by nearly 50% since 2019. This is primarily due to data center energy use and supply chain factors, putting the 2030 net zero target at risk. As AI adoption grows, sectors like events that are already working to reduce travel emissions, waste, and procurement impacts must carefully balance the balance between innovation and sustainability.
AI trends and impact on event industry practices
Since Chat GPT launched its image generation feature on March 26th, social media has been caught up in AI trends: Studio Ghibli Trends, Barbie Box Challenge and now jelly cut trends. These trends are fun, unique and creative, but knowing the impact on the environment, so should we use AI like this? Do you just add environmental impacts that can be avoided? And does this show that this conversation needs to happen faster?
Event field experts are beginning to talk about these concerns. Joanna Routledge, Sales and Marketing Director at Bray Leino Events, shares concerns about these trends. She was first concerned that the events industry used AI while investigating the impact of digital emissions on pitch, and was recommended to have a webinar by Adam Bostock of Small99. She said: “Wake-up calls were how 40 questions to AI turned into one liter of water that is not suitable for human consumption. It’s just copy-based AI. I tried to maintain that how technology is being developed and how I learned absolutely influenced how I use it.”
She adds: “It’s fun to rethink yourself as an action figure or the next trend, but is it worth it? It’s easy to forget that every prompt has environmental costs, especially when the impact is far away and the benefits are very immediate.
As the conversation about artificial intelligence continues to evolve, so will debate about its role in the creative industry. Joanna explains that people see AI as a tool like Photoshop, allowing creatives to work more efficiently, or that someone who has no access to traditional software can clarify their vision and thus help creativity. She said: “Does the tool itself put pressure on you to jump on trends? No. The social and mainstream media of the virus are about saturating your feed with Sammy content, rather than giving you space for unique thoughts and perspectives.”
She frames her understanding of environmental impacts in a similar way to how she understands the effects of plastics. She said: “We are at the beginning of the learning curve with this technology, just as we did when plastic became a staple food for households in the 50s. There has been a major shift in education, perception and understanding of the impact of plastic on the environment.
Leading Change: Responsibility and Regulation
In terms of how companies should think about using AI, she explains that it is up to all businesses to decide what AI looks like. Bray Leino Events has established an AI Task Force to keep the latest developments up to date, update policies and establish best practices. They are also looking to launch further guidelines on responsible use that will help people make better decisions. She said: “Our stance on sustainability-related things is collaboration around competition, so we welcome other institutions and third parties who want to participate in this continuous work. Let’s work together on improving our industry.”
Laura emphasizes that industry leaders and influencers play a key role in shaping a more sustainable future of AI. She said: “We need to stop AI attractively as every shortcut. Leaders can set a better example by showing how to use AI thoughtfully.
She also calls for restrictions. “The government needs to implement guidelines before the spiral. Look at how social media is getting out of hand. Companies need to focus on building energy-efficient tools and be transparent about environmental costs.
Ultimately, as AI becomes embedded in everyday life and industry, we need to go beyond appeal and convenience and ask more difficult questions about impact and responsibility.
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