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Stephen Farrugia (fasterandworse@hci.social)'s status on Saturday, 30-Nov-2024 19:37:18 JST Stephen Farrugia

This is a joke, right?
In conversation about 2 months ago from hci.social permalink
Attachments
1. Ecosia Browser The greenest browser on Earth Be climate active while you browse
  https://storage.googleapis.com/hci-social-storage/media_attachments/files/113/181/926/167/168/998/original/11808b7d9ca7154d.png
2. Ecosia Browser AI Chat Based on OpenAI and with added Green Mode for sustainable answers.
  https://storage.googleapis.com/hci-social-storage/media_attachments/files/113/181/926/860/646/363/original/b372f47c7a1dae97.png
- Stephen Farrugia (fasterandworse@hci.social)'s status on Saturday, 30-Nov-2024 19:37:14 JST Stephen Farrugia
  in reply to
  
  https://circumstances.run/@davidgerard/113253947124583556
  In conversation about 2 months ago permalink
  Attachments
  1. No result found on File_thumbnail lookup.
    
    David Gerard (@davidgerard@circumstances.run)
    
    from David Gerard
    
    some AI boosters claim that AI doesn't actually use a lot of fresh water. this is lies and bullshit. AI training and serving uses a fucking ton of water for data centre cooling that then isn't available for other uses. here's some details with numbers https://web.archive.org/web/20230912035430/https://www.kcci.com/article/ai-technology-behind-chatgpt-built-in-west-des-moines-iowa-microsoft/45081445 yes there will be a Pivot to AI on this, gathering more number-bearing sources
  Aral Balkan repeated this.
- Stephen Farrugia (fasterandworse@hci.social)'s status on Saturday, 30-Nov-2024 19:37:14 JST Stephen Farrugia
  in reply to
  
  I'm sharing this here because I feel like an old man shaking his fist at a cloud over there https://www.linkedin.com/posts/stevefarrugia_can-you-guess-how-many-trees-your-entire-activity-7266402586960826368-V9iF
  And because Ecosia just won a German Sustainability award for 2024
  In conversation about 2 months ago permalink
  Attachments
  1. Untitled attachment
- Stephen Farrugia (fasterandworse@hci.social)'s status on Saturday, 30-Nov-2024 19:37:15 JST Stephen Farrugia
  in reply to
  
  No response from Ecosia yet so I’m asking their AI chat
  In conversation about 2 months ago permalink
  Attachments
  1. Me: “so would that suggest that, if this AI chat is indeed useful, the more people use this feature the less sustainable it is?” AI chat: “Yes, that's a reasonable conclusion. If the AI chat feature is widely used, the cumulative energy consumption and associated emissions can increase, potentially making it less sustainable, especially if the energy used is derived from non-renewable sources. As user interactions grow, the environmental impact of operating the AI chat can become more significant. This underscores the importance of organizations like Ecosia to implement strategies that minimize their carbon footprint, such as using energy-efficient infrastructure, optimizing algorithms, and sourcing energy from renewable sources. Balancing user engagement with sustainability is crucial for any tech-driven organization, and ongoing efforts to improve efficiency and reduce emissions can help mitigate the environmental impact of increased usage. If you have more questions or want to explore sustainable practices further, feel free to ask!”
    https://storage.googleapis.com/hci-social-storage/media_attachments/files/113/248/322/541/473/354/original/6f8f461fb462f377.png
- Stephen Farrugia (fasterandworse@hci.social)'s status on Saturday, 30-Nov-2024 19:37:16 JST Stephen Farrugia
  in reply to
  
  After some more digging here’s a bit more on this from: https://ecosia.helpscoutdocs.com/article/534-ecosia-chat-ai
  In conversation about 2 months ago permalink
  Attachments
  1. Is generative AI sustainable? We have estimated the carbon footprint of our AI chatbot and according to our first estimates it does not significantly increase the overall carbon footprint of Ecosia. The estimate takes into account that Ecosia searches are already 200% carbon negative,as we produce twice as much energy as is consumed by our search engine. We are currently working with two universities to refine our carbon footprint assessment. Unfortunately the more important issue is that the leading language AI model providers are still not transparent about the energy consumption of their models, so without this clarity we can only make rough estimations of our impact. We will continue to monitor our energy usage and urge leading AI companies to do the same and be transparent about their impact.
    https://storage.googleapis.com/hci-social-storage/media_attachments/files/113/191/427/766/971/554/original/21b96f905e38046a.png
  2. No result found on File_thumbnail lookup.
    
    Ecosia Chat
    
    from Ecosia GmbH
    
    The Ecosia AI Chat can help you be more climate active every day. The chatbot is powered by OpenAI, but your queries are not used to train the AI model. The cha
- Stephen Farrugia (fasterandworse@hci.social)'s status on Saturday, 30-Nov-2024 19:37:16 JST Stephen Farrugia
  in reply to
  
  Here’s a link to a comment I left on their linkedin post in case anyone is invested
  https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:ugcPost:7203747894397407232?commentUrn=urn%3Ali%3Acomment%3A%28ugcPost%3A7203747894397407232%2C7247545904088453121%29&dashCommentUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afsd_comment%3A%287247545904088453121%2Curn%3Ali%3AugcPost%3A7203747894397407232%29
  
  In conversation about 2 months ago permalink
- Stephen Farrugia (fasterandworse@hci.social)'s status on Saturday, 30-Nov-2024 19:37:17 JST Stephen Farrugia
  in reply to
  
  it appears to mean "we have a prompt instruction to greenwash the AI responses"
  In conversation about 2 months ago permalink
  Attachments
  1. Screenshot of the ecosia AI chat describing "Green Mode" as: Ecosia's "Green Mode" is a feature that allows users to search the web in a way that prioritizes eco-friendly results and sustainable content. This mode helps users discover information related to environmental topics, green businesses, and sustainable practices. If you're interested in exploring more about this feature or how to activate it, I recommend visiting the Ecosia website for the most up-to-date information.
    https://storage.googleapis.com/hci-social-storage/media_attachments/files/113/182/132/921/677/074/original/1819d961c6a52daa.png
- Stephen Farrugia (fasterandworse@hci.social)'s status on Saturday, 30-Nov-2024 19:37:18 JST Stephen Farrugia
  in reply to
  
  So, it seems they just *made it up*
  In conversation about 2 months ago permalink
  Attachments
  1. screenshot of google search results for: '"green mode" site:ecosia.org' showing the only result being the homepage sentence "Based on OpenAI and with added Green Mode for sustainable answers"
    https://storage.googleapis.com/hci-social-storage/media_attachments/files/113/181/997/395/008/232/original/838e338cc3c61e88.png
  2. screenshot of google search results for 'openai "green mode" -site:ecosia.org' which shows no results for any openai description of a green mode and a linkedin post by ecosia from 9 months ago with the same sentence "Green Mode for more sustainable answers"
    https://storage.googleapis.com/hci-social-storage/media_attachments/files/113/181/997/736/833/379/original/e7b45ca168b9af84.png

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