MAI
Project details
- Year
- 2024
- Programme
- Bachelor – Graphic Design
- Practices
- Autonomous Practices
- Minor
- Digital Craft
“MAI” is an interactive installation shedding light on the topics of drinkable water usage in the data centres of Microsoft and on humanising AI. It criticises the drinkable water consumption of data centres of big tech companies. The installation aims to impact AI users by letting them experience their footprint on the environment. It shows in real time the usage of water of every generated response by AI, which comes to 3 litres per answer.
As an autonomous artist and a graphic designer, I am interested in emphasising on topics which are not widely discussed. Topics which would make people rethink their behaviour and which have been kept under the radar. One of the latest developments happening is made by a company named SoulMachines, which is creating the closest version to a digital human. They are mimicking the human neural systems and brain, striving for the creation of authentic human reactions. This inspired me to critically examine the process of humanising AI and to research the costs to the planet. I have designed a digital version of myself, linked to the knowledge of the latest ChatGPT and programmed it to be able to have a normal human conversation. This AI-driven persona is programmed not only to answer questions but also to educate users on drinkable water consumption in data centres by presenting relevant facts. Simultaneously, the installation visually represents the water used for generating each response by pouring it into a container.
During my research, I discovered that ChatGPT consumes approximately 500 ml of water for every 5 to 50 questions answered. For image generation, the energy consumption is significantly higher, with text generation using 0.042kWh and image generation requiring 1.35kWh—a 32-fold increase. This translates to about 3.2 litres of water used for generating a single image, based on a proportional calculation.
“MAI” is a thought-provoking installation designed to bring to light the hidden environmental costs of AI and data centres, encouraging users to be more mindful of their digital interactions and their impact on the planet.
