LA RIVOLUZIONE ALGORITMICA
We Must Demand Sustainable AI
by Francesco D'Isa
A critical and philosophical look at artificial intelligence and its influence on society, culture and art. La Rivoluzione Algoritmica aims to explore the role of AI as a tool or co-creator, questioning its limits and potential in the transformation of cognitive and expressive processes.
The spread of artificial intelligence (AI) is accompanied by a growth in global energy demand. To power their data centers, big tech companies are investing in controversial solutions like nuclear energy, driven by the need for a steady and reliable electricity supply given the unpredictability of renewable sources like solar and wind. Despite promising research aimed at making AI less energy-intensive, the demand growth far outpaces the rate of technical innovations designed to reduce AI’s environmental impact.
But how much energy do generative AIs actually consume? Recent studies have shown that generating a single image with models like DALL-E can use up the equivalent of a full smartphone charge, while creating a thousand images emits as much carbon as driving about 6.5 kilometers in a car. In comparison, a text-generation model produces emissions equivalent to those generated by driving just one meter in the same vehicle, or about 16% of a phone charge. On a global scale, millions of daily requests contribute to significant energy demand. This impact grows even more when considering the training of AI models, which, although infrequent, is highly polluting: for instance, training GPT-3 emitted around 500 tons of CO₂.
This is a substantial impact, which must be viewed within a context already saturated with similarly or even more environmentally impactful activities. For example, beef production emits up to 60 kg of CO₂ per kilogram (about the equivalent of generating 6,000 AI images), while using a gasoline-powered car emits around 120-180 grams of CO₂ per kilometer. Video streaming, often overlooked, is also a significant contributor: watching one hour of video on a large HD screen generates up to 55 grams of CO₂.
AI applied in specific scientific fields could help combat climate change and, in some cases, even reduce pollution—for example, creating a “traditional” video often pollutes more than creating one with AI. The overall outlook, however, does not leave much room for optimism. Rather than prioritizing consumption reduction, big tech seems more focused on staying competitive and, where possible, expanding into other sectors, such as nuclear energy. A solution might be possible, but it would require a strong political commitment to environmental protection—yet at the moment, policymakers appear more inclined to criminalize climate activists than to support them.
Francesco D’Isa
Francesco D’Isa, trained as a philosopher and digital artist, has exhibited his works internationally in galleries and contemporary art centers. He debuted with the graphic novel I. (Nottetempo, 2011) and has since published essays and novels with renowned publishers such as Hoepli, effequ, Tunué, and Newton Compton. His notable works include the novel La Stanza di Therese (Tunué, 2017) and the philosophical essay L’assurda evidenza (Edizioni Tlon, 2022). Most recently, he released the graphic novel “Sunyata” with Eris Edizioni in 2023. Francesco serves as the editorial director for the cultural magazine L’Indiscreto and contributes writings and illustrations to various magazines, both in Italy and abroad. He teaches Philosophy at the Lorenzo de’ Medici Institute (Florence) and Illustration and Contemporary Plastic Techniques at LABA (Brescia).
