r/Anticonsumption • u/Sad_Butterscotch7063 • 2d ago

Discussion Does anyone avoid using ChatGPT because of its water usage?

Hey, I recently came across something about how using ChatGPT, Blackbox AI and similar AI tools actually consumes a surprising amount of water (cooling data centers, I guess). Made me wonder, have people here stopped or reduced using it because of that?

Curious how others are thinking about it in terms of sustainability and personal impact.

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u/StrictAssumption4949 2d ago

Yup don't use it. And I always try to remember to put -ai in my google searches now so that the dumb AI summary doesn't pop up at the top.

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u/Finley67 2d ago

You can use startpage or qwant, they don't have ai in their search results

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u/CastielWinchester270 2d ago

Is there a way to just turn it off?

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u/StrictAssumption4949 2d ago

I don't think so :( I looked into it and couldn't find a way. It's super annoying to have to type it in every time, but I try. If anyone knows how to-- please share!