You Have the Wrong Perspective on AI and Water

Last month, journalist Karen Hao shared a Twitter thread admitting a significant mistake in her acclaimed book Empire of AI. Hao had claimed that a proposed Google data center near Santiago, Chile, could consume “more than one thousand times the amount of water used by the entire population”—a statistic that, due to a misunderstanding of units, appears to have been off by a factor of 1,000.

In the thread, Hao expressed gratitude to Andy Masley, the head of an effective altruism organization based in Washington, DC, for highlighting the correction. Masley has dedicated recent months to scrutinizing the numbers and narratives prevalent in mainstream media regarding water usage and AI on his Substack. His primary post, titled “The AI Water Issue Is Fake,” has garnered attention from other influential writers, including Matt Yglesias and Noah Smith. (Hao mentioned in her Twitter thread that she would collaborate with her publisher to rectify the inaccuracies; her publicist informed me she was taking leave and was unavailable for further discussion.)

When I reached out to him to discuss AI and water further, Masley noted he isn’t an expert, but “just some guy” intrigued by how the media approaches this issue—and its influence on public perception.

“I would sometimes mention using ChatGPT at social gatherings, and people would respond with, ‘Oh, that consumes so much energy and water. How can you use that?’” he says. “I was somewhat taken aback by how seriously people talked about just a small amount of water.”

As opposition to data centers has increased both locally and nationally, so have concerns regarding their environmental effects. Earlier this week, over 230 environmental organizations sent a letter to Congress, warning that AI and data centers threaten “Americans’ economic, environmental, climate, and water security.”

The AI sector has begun to push back. In November, the cochairs of the AI Infrastructure Coalition, a newly formed industry group, penned an op-ed for Fox News addressing environmental concerns. “Water usage? Minimal and frequently recycled—less than America’s golf courses,” they stated. One of the op-ed authors, former Arizona senator Kyrsten Sinema, is currently promoting a data center project in her state that has faced local resistance, particularly due to water usage concerns. The coalition also retweeted a post from Masley regarding the effects of AI on energy costs. (Masley maintains a comprehensive disclaimer on his Substack disputing claims that he is compensated by the industry for his viewpoints.)