- cross-posted to:
- [email protected]
- cross-posted to:
- [email protected]
Alt Text: The cartoon illustrates the problem of water use in the AI age: a farmer’s child and his mother are pumping a little water from a well for their daily use. Two knights in armor, transporting a large, spherical water container on wheels, come by and say, “The King wishes to make more avatars of himself as a Ghibli character.”
In the background, a castle sits enthroned on a hill. The cartoon illustrates the excessive water consumption required for AI model queries.


Let’s see some reputable sources with these big claims.
This is also not to mention the other tack on effects of data centers in communities.
Sure thing.
“Proton VPN is operated by Proton AG, which values transparency and sustainability. Its unlimited data means fewer interruptions and wasteful reconnections” - Green City Times
https://www.greencitytimes.com/the-best-free-vpn-for-eco-conscious-users/
Not to mention that Proton is mainly based in Switzerland. According to their website, their data centers are housed in former military bases.
“Our critical infrastructure, like our Secure Core VPN servers, is housed in secure data centers or on former military bases. Using these locations prevents anyone from being able to tamper with our servers.” - Proton’s own website
https://protonvpn.com/features/physical-security
They also offer their services for free rather than pushing users towards paid tiers. Unlimited data on every tier. Not something you see very often these days.
Not to mention that Proton has been autited before and all of their claims regarding how they operate have held up in court.
And considering Proton’s reputation of Customer > Profit, it’s not exactly surprising that their methods are ethical. For years they have been one of the few internet companies who don’t harvest your data and prioritize money.
I know that Proton isn’t an AI company because I have been using their services for years. Long before this AI bubble was ever a thing. They only released Lumo last year.
So you used one example from a company who is primarily not an AI company and doesn’t have data centers in the US, where the majority of water-consuming, community-destroying data centers are? Nor any other country where AI companies are exploiting their labor?
Whose supply are you high on and how much are they paying you?
Proceeds to not give a single source supporting original claims.
I’m confused. I originally stated that Proton uses renewable green energy. Then I cited a source stating that the company values sustainability and their unlimited data means fewer wasteful reconnections. What more do you want? Want me to fly you out to Geneva so that you can see it for yourself?
Read my other comment.
It’s a disingenuous answer.
Why can’t you cite OpenAI or any other major players?
Because OpenAI have never disclosed what kind of cooling they use. They’re a bad example and do not support the point I was making.
Not to mention that a lot of articles regarding OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google are heavily biased. Look up “OpenAI Energy Consumption” and you’ll see several articles from different authors with titles using the same keywords. It reeks of SEO Spam. Not very helpful when you’re looking for a reliable source.
You mean one of the main big AI companies? The ones you claimed use closed loop in your initial comment with no sources to back it up?
Maybe don’t make unverifiable claims, yeah?
I’m sorry. I don’t believe I explicitly mentioned OpenAI in my original comment. Now you’re just putting words in my mouth.