Jan. 22, 2011 - The carbon emissions associated with AI tools are a growing concern: with the ChatGPT As an example, its monthly emissionscarbon dioxide CO2Over 260,930 kg (i.e., 260 tons)This is the equivalent of 260 New York to London flights.
According to a new study by web hosting company KnownHost, reported in Fortune 21, AI writing tool Rytr emits 1,057 kilograms of carbon dioxide per month, while AI contract-drafting tool Spellbook emits 20 kilograms per month, but in terms of a single page visit, these two tools emit even more carbon than ChatGPT. -- ChatGPT 1.59 grams of emissions per page visitThe Rytr is 10.1 grams and the Spellbook is 6.5 grams.
However, ChatGPT's user base far exceeds that of Rytr and Spellbook, and itsMore than 164 million monthly active users. Thus, rather than ChatGPT's carbon emissions being determined by the level of energy consumption, itsLarge user basePromoted.
AI applications often rely on data centers to run, and data center energy demand is rapidly climbing. Berkeley Lab's U.S. Data Center Energy Usage Report, published in 2024, notes that energy consumption in U.S. data centers more than tripled between 2017 and 2023, and is likely to continue to rise significantly in the future.
According to the International Energy Agency's electricity report from last year, electricity use by technologies such as data centers, AI and cryptocurrencies "Could double by tomorrow (IT House note: 2025)", with data centers accounting for a third of that growth.
In a statement, KnownHost CEO Daniel Pearson emphasized that the data highlights the importance of AI infrastructure to improve energy efficiency. "As technology continues to evolve, striking a balance between technological innovation and environmental sustainability will be a central topic that tech companies and users must focus on as we move into 2025."
