AI and Sustainability: Finding Balance in a Digital Future

As artificial intelligence continues its rapid integration into our daily lives and business operations, a critical conversation emerges: How do we balance the tremendous benefits of AI with its growing environmental footprint? 

Recent reports, including one from the BBC, have highlighted the concerning energy consumption and carbon emissions associated with training and running powerful AI models.

This article has been inspired by the positive feedback I received when I posted about the subject on LinkedIn.  You can read the post and comments here.

The Hidden Cost of AI Advancement

The evolution of AI has been nothing short of remarkable. From ChatGPT to Claude and other sophisticated large language models, these systems can now write essays, code software, analyse complex data, and even create art. However, this progress comes with a substantial environmental price tag.

Training a single large language model can consume as much electricity as hundreds of UK households use in an entire year. The water requirements for cooling these massive data centres are equally staggering, with some facilities using millions of litres daily just to prevent overheating.

Energy Hunger: The Numbers Behind AI

The figures are sobering:

1. Carbon Emissions from AI Model Training:

   • Training GPT-4 in 2023 produced an estimated 5,184 tonnes of CO2, while training Llama 3.1 405B in 2024 emitted approximately 8,930 tonnes
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     . This highlights the significant carbon footprint of modern AI models.

2. Data Centre Electricity Consumption:

• Data centres consumed about 4.4% of total U.S. electricity in 2023 and are expected to consume approximately 6.7 to 12% by 2028
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• Globally, data centre electricity consumption is projected to more than double by 2030, reaching 945 TWh per year, driven largely by AI
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3. Future Projections:

• By 2030, data centres are expected to consume around 3% of total global electricity, roughly equivalent to the current total consumption of Japan
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As we embrace more AI tools for everyday tasks—writing emails, generating images, or analysing data—we're unknowingly contributing to this growing energy demand.

Water: The Overlooked Resource

While much attention focuses on electricity consumption, water usage represents another significant environmental concern. AI data centres require enormous amounts of water for cooling systems. In drought-prone regions, this creates additional pressure on already strained water resources.

Microsoft, Google, and other tech giants have begun publishing water usage statistics for their data centres, but the numbers raise serious questions about sustainability as AI deployment scales up.

The Path Forward: Responsible AI Development

The solution isn't abandoning AI—its benefits for healthcare, climate science, education, and countless other fields are too valuable to ignore. Instead, we need a thoughtful approach that considers environmental impact alongside technical capabilities.

Several promising directions are emerging:

1. More Efficient Models

Researchers are developing more energy-efficient AI approaches, including smaller, specialised models that require less computational power while performing specific tasks effectively. These "task-specific" models might consume just a fraction of the resources needed by general-purpose AI systems.

2. Renewable Energy Integration

Leading tech companies are investing heavily in renewable energy sources to power their data centres. Google, Microsoft, and Amazon have all made commitments to carbon-neutral or carbon-negative operations, though the timeline and implementation details vary.

3. Location Intelligence

Strategic placement of data centres in regions with naturally cool climates or access to renewable energy can significantly reduce both electricity demands and water usage for cooling.

4. Carbon Awareness

Building "carbon-aware" AI systems that schedule intensive computational tasks during periods when renewable energy is abundant could help reduce the carbon footprint of AI operations.

Consumer Choices Matter

As businesses and individuals, we also bear responsibility for how we implement AI solutions:

• Consider whether AI is truly necessary for every application
• Choose providers who prioritise environmental sustainability
• Support policies that require transparency about AI's environmental impact
• Accept that sometimes slightly slower responses or less sophisticated AI might be the environmentally responsible choice

Finding the Balance

The conversation around AI and sustainability isn't about abandoning technological progress—it's about ensuring that progress doesn't come at an unsustainable environmental cost. We need thoughtful regulation, corporate responsibility, consumer awareness, and continued innovation in efficient AI techniques.

The most promising path forward involves recognising that environmental sustainability and technological advancement aren't opposing forces—they're complementary goals that, when properly aligned, can create a future where AI enhances human potential without undermining the planetary systems we all depend upon.

As we marvel at AI's capabilities, we must also ask hard questions about its resource requirements and work collectively to ensure the digital revolution doesn't accelerate environmental decline. Only then can AI truly deliver on its promise to help solve humanity's greatest challenges rather than compounding them.

What You Can Do

Start by evaluating your organisation's AI strategy with sustainability in mind. Are you deploying AI where it adds genuine value? Have you considered the environmental implications of your AI implementations? Are you working with providers who prioritise energy efficiency and renewable power?

The future of AI doesn't have to be an environmental disaster story. With careful planning, policy support, and conscious choices, we can harness AI's potential while respecting planetary boundaries. The technology that helps optimise our world shouldn't come at the cost of the world itself.

Paul Every, Jersey

The Importance of Communication During Change

 I have written before about communication (click here), where I stated the importance of adapting your message to suit your audience, i.e. communicating the right message, to the right people, at the right time. In this post I am focusing on the effectiveness of your communication and providing some techniques for improvement.

How we listen

It is  well-known that, in face-to-face communication, the words we use are less important than our tone of voice and the non-verbal signals we send out, such as our body language. This ratio of words, tone and non-verbal is often shown in the ration shown below:

Since this research was published in 1967 by Albert Mehrabian, there have been many alternative studies in this area which have come up with different results.  However, whatever the numbers actually are there is no doubt that we listen with our eyes just as much as with our ears. This shows how important it is to have a strong sense of self-awareness when communicating about sensitive issues during a change programme.

Assertive Communication

When you have got an important message to get across to staff members involved in organisational change it is vital that you adopt an assertive style of communication. These same skills can be used when you need to deal with any important issue where you need to be clear and ensure your message gets across.

You may not need to use all these techniques all the time, but they represent a useful set of skills to have in your behavioural toolkit:

1. Match your body language and tone of voice to suit the message. You need to be consistent to ensure that the words you use aren’t misconstrued because they do not fit with your body language and tone of voice. Getting this wrong can make you come across as disingenuous or patronising.
2. Use a firm but pleasant tone. When communicating difficult or sensitive messages always be pleasant. This will help your audience remain calm when there is the opportunity to get annoyed or frustrated.
3. Don’t assume you know what the other persons motives are. It is very easy to make assumptions about the reason behind other people's behaviours. At best these assumptions could be misleading, but they can also back-fire and result in serious unintended consequences.
4. Start with “I” not “you”. When you start a sentence with 'You', you are immediately putting your audience on the defensive and have the potential to appear critical. It is far better to phrase your message with yourself as the subject.For example, an inappropriate "you" message could be: "You need to change to enable this project to succeed!". It is far better to say "I would like you to change, because we need to implement this new process."   It is much harder for your subject to say no because they can’t disagree when you start with "I would like…".
5. If you want something…   ask. We, particularly the British, are very good at accepting situations and not wanting to 'rock the boat'. If there is something you want then ask for it, the worst that can happen is a refusal. Even in this situation you may be admired for raising the point and asking.
6. If you don’t want something…. say no. Similarly, if there is something you don’t want, say no. Your request may not be accepted, but provided you refuse assertively - see the last point below, then you will not be thought any worse of.
7. It’s about the behaviour not the personality. In changing situations we often need to change our behaviours but we shouldn't try to change who we really are. When you are trying to deal with challenging behaviour this is usually because the person is uncomfortable and reacting in the only way they know how. It doesn’t mean they are a bad person. So, when giving feedback always refer to the behaviour and not their personality.For example it is much better to say, "When you operated that machine without safety glasses it was dangerous and reckless", than to say "You are stupid and should know better than to not wear safety glasses".
8. Avoid generalisations. Be specific when giving feedback about a member of staff's behaviour. Saying "You are always late" is probably not true and is likely to make them angry and immediately disagree. Saying, "You have been late four mornings this week, which is not acceptable" is difficult to argue with. Obviously you need to be accurate and well prepared to ensure you have the evidence you are feeding back.
9. Compromise. Look for the win-win. Change is seldom black and white and there is often room to manoeuvre, provided you continue to travel in the direction of your goals. A compromise is always worth considering. You should be aiming to 'win the war', but need not to necessarily win every battle on the way!
10. When you do/say ...., it makes me feel …. The most powerful way to give someone feedback on their behaviour is to describe the impact of this behaviour on you. When you describe how you feel about something you are engaging that person at an emotional level. This is far more powerful than just engaging at an intellectual level (think hearts and minds rather than just minds). Think about the examples below:

“When you yell, I feel attacked.”

“When you arrive late, I have to wait, and I feel frustrated.”

“When you tell the kids they can do something that I’ve already forbidden, some of my authority as a parent is taken away, and I feel undermined.”

This way of communicating is not easy and requires practice. It is also risky because you are expressing your emotions and you need the person you are communicating with to accept your openness and honesty in a positive way. When done correctly the pay-off is always worth the risk.

Finally, if you are on the receiving end of feedback in this style it is really important that you respond in the right way. You may not agree with what the other person is saying, but you cannot disagree with how your actions made them feel. Feedback is a highly valuable gift so you should listen, accept the feedback and thank the person for what they have told you and then resolve the situation through mature assertive discussion.

The techniques above have been very useful for me when I am facilitating change programmes or involved more directly in the change itself. If you would like coaching in using these techniques or advice on how they could help your situation then please contact me for a free informal discussion.

I’d also be keen to hear about your own experiences, whether positive or negative. Please respond privately or in the comments below.

Paul Every, Jersey

Playing Small Does not Serve the World

Twice in the past week, I have been reminded of a poem that first appeared in A Return to Love, by Marianne Williamson.  It has often been attributed to the late Nelson Mandela in his inaugural speech as president of the Republic of South Africa.  Although this was just another internet myth, many agree that these words are very appropriate when thinking about this great leader.

I was also reminded of the poem whilst having lunch with a consultant friend of mine.  We both admitted to holding back and being wary of saying what we really think, particularly when in the presence of very senior professionals in large organisations.  This poem sums up the feeling very well:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God.

Your playing small does not serve the world.

There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine, as children do.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.

It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

If you find yourself playing small, just reflect on the words above and hopefully together we can make the world a better place.

Paul Every, Jersey