Is AI Really Green?
The hidden environmental cost of “smart” tech
AI is everywhere right now.
It’s being sold as a climate hero: optimising energy, reducing waste, saving time, saving money — saving the planet, apparently.
Here at Zero Waste Llama, I need to start with an apology.
It didn’t even occur to me, at first, to look at the real environmental cost of using AI to adapt our photography — for example in a recent post, 🌊 The Two‑Minute Magic: How a Fraserburgh Promenade Walk Sparked a Tiny Act of Coastal Kindness.
In fact, it was a couple of members of the Fraserburgh – Brochers and Proud of it Facebook group who brought this to my attention.
I thought I had learned to pause whenever something is marketed as a “solution” without talking about its waste, energy, or extraction footprint. Clearly, I hadn’t paused enough.
Initially, I was incensed that anyone would think I used AI to produce my writing. Then I stopped reacting… and actually looked into it.
So let’s ask the awkward — but necessary — question:
Is AI actually green… or just very good at greenwashing?
This isn’t an anti‑AI rant.
It’s a zero‑waste reality check.
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
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