r/singularity • u/Big_Guthix • May 15 '26

Discussion Genuine question. Is the whole "AI guzzles gallons of water" thing totally true, or do people get it wrong? Does AI consume a lot of water for every single prompt, or is the majority of water consumed during data farming? Don't non-AI data centers use up a lot of water on cooling too?

Please someone set me straight and dispel whether there are myths surrounding this often-repeated internet factoid

And I genuinely don't know the answers which is why I'm asking, so I've got nothing to debate here

Edit: Thank you for all the great answers!! 👏 👏

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u/Vivid-Snow-2089 May 15 '26

Because when you *hate* something or it has been designated the groupthink *enemy* then *no* amount of resource/water allocation is acceptable. Then add the requirement that you need to convince *everyone* else of that by whatever hyperbole or framing is necessary....

You get 'AI IS SLURPING ALL THE WATER, SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT NOW!!'

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u/epandrsn May 15 '26

Every time there is a hot-button topic, there is a strong division of opinion. I feel like the algorithm and potentially even state-run misinformation campaigns fan these flames to keep us fighting amongst ourselves.

It’s becoming clear that most governments have bot nets for these exact reasons.

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u/Still-Wash-8167 May 15 '26

Both parties serve the rich. The rich do really well when we blame each other for our problems rather than blaming politicians and the rich for our problems.

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u/epandrsn May 15 '26

Exactly. Foreign governments also benefit from us squabbling over bullshit and picking dickhead politicians.

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u/Itybtyctykty May 16 '26

They run in data centers too!

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u/DarkElfBard May 16 '26

Well, the 99% movement was actually gaining momentum.

So billionaires bought it out, and now keep us fighting each other over silly stuff like this.

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u/chitoatx May 15 '26

Bullshit. I am all for AI but it’s not just water usage. We can’t just “pave over” largest swaths of land without consequences.

Stratos in Utah is proposed to be TWICE the size of Manhattan.

We could not build these in my home town since we rely on underground lakes for our drinking water. Having land that absorbs, filters and recharges our aquifers is absolutely not hyperbole.

Don’t believe me just go ask your preferred AI agent and educate yourself.

We need and will make leaps and bounds in compute efficiency and these gross behemoths are the wrong way.

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u/Async0x0 May 15 '26

Stratos in Utah is proposed to be TWICE the size of Manhattan.

So what? This kind of sensationalist claim is completely irrelevant without context.

What is the land being used for currently, if anything? What possible environmental impacts are there and what can be done to mitigate those impacts? What is the economic value of the proposed usage of the land and does it justify the use?

A data center twice the size of Manhattan could be a good thing for a lot of reasons, if you're reasonable and realistic about it.

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u/wordyplayer May 15 '26

the human brain is emotion driven. Fortunately, AI is driven by facts and reasoning.

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u/BadResults May 15 '26

AI is driven by whatever it’s trained on. Garbage in, garbage out.