Should people be aware of the environmental impact of AI use?
30th May - 06th June 2025
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5-11 votes
11-16+ votes
Total votes
To mark World Environment Day, which took place on 5th June, we asked young people to consider the environmental impact of our increasing use of AI. It has been estimated that prompting an AI tool can use 20 to 60 times more energy than performing a basic search engine query. With reported use of tools such as ChatGPT greater than ever, do we need to push for better awareness of the environmental consequences of using AI?
Secondary, 16+ & College voters were asked: “Should people be aware of the environmental impact of AI use?”, while Primary 7-11 voters discussed: "“Should we learn more about the impact AI has on the environment?”, and Primary 5-7 voters considered: “Do you know how much electricity computers use?”
46,904 young people in the UK have taken part in this vote.
I voted yes because I never knew AI could have an impact on the environment [...] maybe there could be a safer way of using AI so there is no impact on the environment.
We should be aware of how our individual use of AI impacts the planet so that we can limit our use of it. If I knew before what I know now, I wouldn't have used it for silly and pointless things!
We can't escape AI - it's inevitable and the water usage doesn't matter, that's what the water cycle is for!
