Ctrl+Z won’t undo this: The hidden environmental cost of AI image trends
By Nandini Bhasin, Student of Class XII, DPS, Pune
Viral AI photo trends may look harmless, but every image is powered by energy- and water-hungry data centres.
The 80s retro trend and the Ghibli trend have come and gone, but they have left a mark on the planet that can’t simply be undone with Ctrl+Z.
Retro-style AI portraits, with their big hairstyles, nostalgic backdrops and vintage clothing, flooded social media feeds. The images may look harmless. Alongside the debate over copying original art styles for entertainment, there is a less visible cost: behind every AI-generated picture sits a chain of data centres, and their environmental footprint is becoming hard to ignore.
A warming world, a hungrier grid
The stakes are high. According to recent UN climate assessments, the world is expected to exceed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels in the coming years. There is a 91% chance that at least one...
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