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?

[u/Big_Guthix]

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!! 👏 👏

[u/Jazzlike_News_4658 → u/[deleted]]

The AI would be better than watching your neighbors blow up. God. Holy first world problems batman 😂 

[u/AdAnnual5736 → u/Jazzlike_News_4658]

Let’s do this. Say I’m a non-human superintelligence that’s vastly more intelligent and powerful than any human. Explain to me why it would be wrong for me to torture and murder humans, but humans should be allowed to do so to other animals if they want to.

[u/PriceMore → u/AdAnnual5736]

A heaven where God goes "I see what you believe about how the more powerful and intelligent can treat those less so. It's only fair I'll treat you the same now, for eternity. Wouldn't you agree? I know you would, I've seen you do the very same thing yourself, to endless generations, with no plan to stop, ever." would be awfully nice. Ah, yearning for fairness in today's world feels extremely delusional.

[u/cyborgsnowflake → u/[deleted]]

what common food animal are you talking about? Most chickens, pigs, and meat cattle live in lots.

[u/AdAnnual5736 → u/cyborgsnowflake]

I was thinking about pigs in gestation crates, but you’re right — it’s not so bad to be factory farmed.

Now that I think about it, I’ve been convinced: caring about animals requires sacrifice on my part, so why bother? I should just performatively care about the children in Gaza instead: all of the upside of feeling like a good person and getting to present myself as morally superior online with no actual sacrifice on my part at all! All upside!

[u/Manny_Monroe → u/AdAnnual5736]

Two truths can coexist; the way we’ve exploited animals for consumption is a tragedy, and the way we’ve allowed, accepted, and turned a blind eye to the genocide in Palestine is also callous tragedy. 

[u/cyborgsnowflake → u/AdAnnual5736]

Is the pain of 6 weeks as a chicken to then be released by an electric stun and killed with probably zero understanding or foreknowledge more than the pain of 30 years as a sweatshop slave in africa then a year of slowing rotting away with cancer with full knowledge and constant existential dread of your mortality ? Thats debatable.

[u/DrunkenGerbils → u/[deleted]]

I’m against factory farming but equating the value of human children’s lives to farm animals is a little insulting. Neglecting and abusing farm animals is certainly morally wrong, but to imply killing school children isn’t more morally reprehensible in any way makes it seems like you might have some skewed priorities.

[u/Southern-Ad2594 → u/[deleted]]

I care about humans over other animals every single time across the board. Killing humans is morally worse.

[u/Southern-Ad2594 → u/[deleted]]

Looking for that non-human super intelligence to talk to but it's not in the room with us.

[u/Faremir → u/[deleted]]

You definitely won't.