Your Ghibli image just drank someone's last drop of water

[Tanuki]

https://newseyemag.com/2025/04/08/your-ghibli-image-just-drank-someones-last-drop-of-water/

"Ghibli-style AI-generated images are currently dominating our feeds—offering a slice of nostalgia dipped in dreamscape beauty. But while your Instagram may look like a frame from Spirited Away, the reality behind these stunning visuals is far less magical—and dangerously wet.

"It’s easy to forget the hidden infrastructure of AI,” said Kate Crawford, a senior principal researcher at Microsoft and author of Atlas of AI. “Every AI system is trained in data centers that require huge amounts of water to cool their processors. We are outsourcing environmental damage to maintain the illusion of digital magic.” (The Atlantic, 2021)

According to a 2023 report by the University of California, Riverside, generating a single AI image can consume as much as 500 milliliters of water — about as much as a 16-ounce bottle. While that sounds small in isolation, the numbers add up fast. Multiply that by millions of prompts per day across platforms and you’re looking at hundreds of thousands of gallons disappearing just to conjure up “vibe” art.
...
Each AI prompt you generate might feel harmless, but behind the scenes, it can consume 500 milliliters to 1 liter of fresh water, depending on the system and data center cooling needs. Now, if you consider that one person dies every 23 seconds due to lack of clean water, that means by the time you casually type out 20–30 AI prompts, someone, somewhere, has died from thirst or waterborne disease from not having the same water your prompt used In other words, the water used to fuel our digital curiosity could literally mean life or death for someone else. It’s a grim reminder that even our virtual actions carry very real, and sometimes deadly, consequences."... (more)

[Easterncedar]

1. This this this

Deserves to be shouted

[Biophilic]

2. We really are our own worst enemies.

I knew the computing world used a whole lot of water, but I had no idea how much, let alone the statistic that one person dies every 23 seconds due to lack of clean water. Every 23 seconds...

[chowder66]

3. K&R

[dalton99a]

4. Kick