Artificial Intelligence's Environmental Impact Sparks Debate on Technological Salvation

The question of whether artificial intelligence represents a messianic force for human salvation has gained urgency as environmental concerns about AI infrastructure emerge. According to the United Nations Environment Assembly, artificial intelligence advancement will have a negative impact on the surrounding environment. This environmental impact stems primarily from the data storage centers required for AI operations, with Wesley Spindler of Global Sustainability Leadership reporting that 25.5 million litres of water can be used a year by just 1 megawatt of a data storage center. This water consumption presents a significant environmental problem as fresh water sources become increasingly scarce worldwide.

This environmental reality creates a paradox for those viewing artificial intelligence as a potential redeemer. The intellectual community has traditionally labeled artificial as an entity that is other than natural, raising fundamental questions about whether artificial intelligence could have detrimental effects on the natural world it seeks to improve. Technical artificial intelligence innovators like Sam Altman of OpenAi have proclaimed that these new technologies would cause much prosperity to national infrastructures around the world, suggesting AI could serve as a modern messiah delivering progress and advancement.

The debate echoes historical discussions about messianic figures and their lasting impact. For centuries, it has been taught that what are known as Messiahs come and go, leaving some sort of impact on people, nations, or civilizations. According to ancient literature on scrolls of purpose, a Messiah is only an official ceremony for a person to be named a king: Malka as Mesiha. This historical context raises questions about whether technological solutions, like their human counterparts, create lasting benefit or temporary relief followed by worsening conditions.

Parallel discussions about redemption through other means, particularly music, offer alternative perspectives on salvation. The scientific community has determined that music is the foundation of life, and it has a direct effect on biological human lives. The American Psychiatric Association reports that the experience of music can have a profound effect on the overall well-being of humanity, and a 2022 review after a meta-analysis of music therapy concluded that it has a beneficial effect on the outcomes of stress related situations. This evidence suggests non-technological approaches to human improvement exist alongside technological ones.

The environmental costs of artificial intelligence force a fundamental reconsideration of technological progress. As data storage centers expand to support AI initiatives, their water consumption threatens already strained freshwater resources. This reality challenges optimistic projections about AI's benefits and raises the critical question of whether the environmental price of artificial intelligence advancement justifies its promised rewards. The debate continues as society weighs technological promise against environmental reality in determining what truly constitutes progress for humanity.