A recent poll reveals that public concern is increasing regarding the potential environmental effects of artificial intelligence.
According to a survey from the Associated Press-NORC Center, around 40% of U.S. adults expressed they were “very” or “extremely” worried about AI’s environmental impact, as detailed in a report published on Thursday.
In comparison, 30% indicated they were “somewhat” concerned, while 27% said they were either “not very concerned” or “not at all concerned.”
Many worries arise from the fact that AI data centers take up significant land space and need access to water for cooling systems, which is necessary due to the intense operations required for large language models.
Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk is in the process of constructing an AI data center in Memphis, Tennessee, following complaints from nearby residents about turbines allegedly releasing harmful substances into the air, possibly breaching the Clean Air Act.
Aaron Gunnoe, a 29-year-old independent voter from Ohio, voiced his concerns to the Associated Press, highlighting the insufficient action to mitigate environmental risks.
“They’re not doing much to address that cleanly,” he commented, pointing out the heavy reliance on electricity and fossil fuels to power AI data centers.
“They keep building more and more,” Gunnoe noted.
The AP-NORC poll found that nearly half of the Democratic respondents were “very” or “extremely” concerned about AI’s environmental effects, while about a third of independents and Republicans shared similar sentiments.
James Horner, a 52-year-old Republican from South Carolina, expressed a more optimistic view, believing that AI could address energy challenges.
“It will help everyone,” he told the Associated Press. “I think it will enable us to understand processes in our bodies that even knowledgeable scientists don’t fully grasp yet. If handled properly, it could significantly benefit healthcare and environmental issues.”
On another note, approximately 25% of those surveyed felt AI would be more beneficial than harmful, while a similar percentage believed the reverse. About half remained uncertain or thought no real change would occur.
“I think this is a black box. I don’t know how we would know,” noted Minnesota Democratic Rep. Amy Fennewald, 61, when speaking to the Associated Press.
The AP-NORC Center conducted this survey with 3,154 adults from September 2 to 18, and the margin of error is plus or minus 2.4 percentage points.
