A business, especially a restaurant, using a mural inside or outside is nothing new. However, Toronto Today reported that one particular outdoor mural in the city's Annex neighborhood is causing great debate among residents due to its use of artificial intelligence.
The restaurant has previously used human artists on that same wall, but this particular design, inspired by a "Day of the Dead" theme, appears to utilize AI resources instead. Some people enjoyed the display, as one resident said, "I like the vibrancy. It reminds me of Mexico."
However, someone else told Toronto Today that "the new wall 'sticker' makes him wonder whether the food will be authentic if the mural isn't."
AI has been controversial due to its massive contrasting effect on society. On the one hand, it has made some things faster but has displaced many human workers. As local muralist Sarah Blostein told Toronto Today, "AI — it's not art. It is an algorithm that steals actual art from other artists. It's insidious."
Another problem with artificial intelligence is it's not only displacing humans but also using up water sources. Those data centers that power AI models need significant cooling to prevent them from overheating.
How do they do this? By relying on a large amount of fresh water. Smart Water Magazine reported, "A single ChatGPT conversation uses around 50 centiliters [about 0.3 ounces] of water."
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As AI becomes more in demand, these data systems will continue to work longer and harder and use more water.
While the planet may be over 71% water, it doesn't mean an abundance of it is available for humans and other wildlife to consume. Most water on the planet isn't drinkable due to salt and water pollution from runoff, plastic, oil spills, etc. Therefore, there's little wiggle room for AI models to use more fresh water when it's already scarce in many areas.
That is why stakeholders, such as American lawmakers and the European Union, are forming regulations for standards to assess the environmental impact and gather regular reporting on water consumption from AI developers.
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