I sat down with Shaolei Ren, an associate professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of California, Riverside, to break down his recent research into the water consumption, electricity consumption and public health impact of the data centers being used to power generative AI. Episode Links: The water consumption of GenAI: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2304.03271The public health crisis of GenAI: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2412.06288Water consumption VS water use: https://www.wri.org/insights/whats-difference-between-water-use-and-water-consumptionPepsi Co’s water consumption: https://www.pepsico.com/our-impact/esg-topics-a-z/water#approachGoogle and Microsoft’s water consumption: https://www.thedeepview.co/p/google-emissions-are-spiking-due-to-increased-energy-demands-of-aiElon Musk’s Memphis data center: https://www.thedeepview.co/p/the-public-health-crisis-of-artificial-intelligenceOutline: 0:00 – Intro1:27 – The water consumption of AI7:30 – The difference between water ‘consumption’ and water ‘use’16:15 – The impact of reasoning models 18:03 – A solution to AI’s water problem19:58 – The public health cost of AI 27:55 – Addressing the problem33:52 – The dichotomy of the AI industry42:37 – A cost-benefit analysis48:49 – Looking aheadGet The Deep View — your daily source for in-depth, fact-based reporting on artificial intelligence — in your inbox every morning. Subscribe here!Connect with us on X, TikTok and Instagram.  Artificial intelligence is a complicated topic, bound by a number of complex threads — technical science, ethics, safety, regulation, neuroscience, psychology, philosophy, investment and — above all — humanity. On The Deep View: Conversations, Ian Krietzberg, host and Editor-in-Chief at The Deep View, breaks it all down, cutting through the hype to make clear what's important and why you should care.

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