Data centers popping up across Northwest Ohio have sparked concern from area residents worried about water and electricity usage, impacts on local wildlife and an increase in air and water pollution. At the same time, internet users worldwide have been turning to artificial intelligence (AI) for tasks ranging from paraphrasing articles to creating cooking recipes, and businesses have used AI tools to improve efficiency or help customers.
Amid AI’s growing impact on the environment and in the workplace, experts from BGSU are providing advice for how the average person can use AI in a way that’s more mindful of how their use of these tools can produce greenhouse gases, increase the Earth’s temperature, lead to less biodiversity and increase the chance of extreme weather.
Mason Schragal, a third-year political science major and a leader of the BGSU Environmental Action Group, said the most sustainable way to use AI is to simply limit personal use.
Schragal recommended trying to go back to using tools used to answer everyday questions or solve problems before AI became popular, like Microsoft Excel or a classic web search.
Schragal also suggested that users turn off AI-powered tools that are standard in their search engine. When using Google, for example, users can deactivate “AI Innovations” in browser settings, but the “AI Overviews” that pop up in searches cannot be deactivated.
Similarly, BGSU professor Andrew Kear, who teaches about environmental policy and sustainability, said that while AI can help users do things faster, they shouldn’t overly rely on it.
“If you are concerned about where our planet is going and you are concerned about climate change, then I think you should use it [AI] more judiciously,” said Kear.
Schragal also suggested writing specific questions to AI, so its technology can limit the power it needs to craft an answer by pulling information from fewer sources. He also suggests uploading a PDF for AI to use as a source for information to help it answer questions.
Ultimately, Schragal recommended AI users use the technology as a tool to assist and teach them instead of completely replacing the users.
Kear also suggested other daily eco-conscious actions, like using public transportation or walking instead of driving, reducing meat consumption and plane travel, supporting nongovernmental organizations that promote sustainability and pressuring politicians to implement greener policies, as ways to offset the impacts of AI on the environment.
Zachary Hayes, BGSU’s sustainability coordinator, said AI can even assist with sustainability initiatives in some cases. Specifically, Hayes noted organizations in the environmental and climate community facing funding cuts could use AI as a consistent tool to gather data, create a database, estimate project timelines or suggest goals.
AI, according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), can detect patterns in data and predict future outcomes, which could help monitor the environment. For example, UNEP noted they use AI to detect methane, a greenhouse gas emission, in oil and gas installations.
“It’s important for students to be conscious about their toll on the environment and the ways they can help slowly improve it,” said Schragal.
