UMaine Launches Innovative App to Measure AI's Environmental Impact
UMaine's new app allows users to track the environmental impact of AI tasks.
Key Points
- • UMaine launched 'What Uses More' to assess AI's environmental impact.
- • The app visualizes energy and water consumption of digital tasks.
- • Over 2,500 visitors from 39 countries have used the app since its launch.
- • Future updates will include more daily activities and mobile versions.
The University of Maine (UMaine) has unveiled a groundbreaking app named 'What Uses More,' designed to provide users with insight into the environmental costs associated with AI-generated tasks. Launched on June 25, the app was created by Professor Jon Ippolito in response to increasing concerns about the ecological implications of digital activities. Ippolito expressed frustration with polarized discussions surrounding AI's environmental impacts, stating that the app aims to visualize these effects rather than provide definitive measurements, which are often inaccessible due to industry secrecy.
The app features relatable metrics for energy and water consumption, such as using lightbulb-minutes to represent energy usage and cubic centimeters for water usage. For example, generating a three-second AI video may require 25 times the energy needed to charge a smartphone or double that of a one-hour Zoom meeting with ten participants. Users can also alter various parameters, including the type of energy powering data centers and geographical climate, to observe how such factors affect the overall environmental footprint.
Since its debut, the app has attracted over 2,500 unique visitors from 39 countries, reflecting a significant public interest in the environmental costs tied to technology. Looking ahead, Ippolito plans to expand the app's functionality to cover additional daily activities such as driving and eating, along with developing mobile versions for broader accessibility. This initiative aligns with UMaine's AI Initiative, which focuses on promoting responsible AI use in collaboration with researchers and industry leaders.