Blink:

I read a friend’s post on LinkedIn about AI computing data centers’ reliance on chilled water for cooling, thus resulting in a damaging environmental (e.g., water resources) counterbalance. Interesting tidbit of information! Subsequently, I processed generative AI’s potential as the elephant in the room in regards to planet earth’s environment.

Read On:

Have you been following or partaking in the generative AI rage? I have from a marketing perspective. Complex AI models involve intensive computing power from semiconductors requiring significant amounts of electricity which generate considerable levels of heat. Water from AI facilities’ cooling towers is utilized to maintain optimal operating conditions/temperatures. One relevant estimate I read was approximately half a liter of water for every five prompts. Leading tech giants (e.g., Microsoft, OpenAI, and Google) have been extremely guarded about AI’s environmental impact.           

Why am I concerned generative AI is the elephant in the room in regards to planet earth’s environment? Its use as a marketing tool to influence consumer purchasing behavior. The byproduct is it drives the overall consumption of material-based products which might not be manufactured by numerous companies within the sustainable guidelines needed for a healthier plant earth.

In our “Digital First World” generative AI will transform marketing forever, thus enable companies to crunch consumer data in real time to develop personalized content/messaging (e.g., social platforms, email, etc.) to their target audiences which will ultimately drive engagement and conversion. Recent research revealed 73% of U.S. marketers (source: Statista) indicated their organizations have used generative AI tools. It is estimated the percentage of AI usage will escalate to 90% in two years.

For brevity of today’s post, I am going to cite the fashion industry (one of the largest manufacturing industries on the planet which is highly unregulated), as a prime example of wasteful consumer purchasing/consumption behavior fueled in part by marketing. Relevant facts (source: Earthday.org):

• 100 billion garments are produced a year; it is estimated 87% will end up in a landfill or an incinerator. Note: Only 1% of discarded clothing is recycled.
• The average person now buys 60 percent more items than they did 15 years ago, but keep them for only half as long – the average article of clothing may be worn as few as ten times before it is tossed. 
• 4% of greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to France, Germany and the U.K. combined. 
• the utilization of highly toxic dyes, pollutants which once flushed end up in the planet’s ecosystem.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
• deforestation since a considerable number of trees are razed for cellulosic fibers.             
• the negative impact of non-organic cotton farming (e.g., soil depletion/degradation, pesticides).
• the utilization of synthetic fibers like polyester which is a derivative of crude oil (a non-renewable resource). 
• the negative carbon footprint associated with shipping clothing from point A to point B. 
• Clothing production has doubled since 2000 and is expected to grow an estimated 63% by 2030 with the rise of the global middle class population.                                                

As I stated above, for today’s post, I chose the fashion industry as an example of a manufacturing industry heavily impacted by wasteful consumer purchasing/consumption behavior fueled in part by marketing. My plan is to research/analyze other industries embracing generative AI for marketing to write a more in depth article to share online with my LinkedIn community.

How many elephants are there in the room?