Tools & Platforms

Trivial AI use can have devastating climate consequences

Published

1 month ago

July 30, 2025

THE future of humanity, we are told, will be irrevocably shaped by artificial intelligence (AI). That same future is also under existential threat from global warming and its disastrous consequences – a threat that is being exacerbated by the unthinking use of AI.

Of course, there are many powerful and life-changing uses for AI, from cancer research to predictive data analytics.

Perhaps the most widespread use today, however, is arguably the most trivial: generative AI (GenAI), not least in the form of large language models (LLMs) that spit out text based on spotting linguistic patterns, rather than engaging with meaning.

Even if one sets aside the legal and ethical issues surrounding GenAI models and their use of copyrighted material, their meteoric rise has had regrettable practical consequences.

Some have decried how LLMs encourage intellectual laziness, with students or entry-level employees outsourcing what used to be fundamental work, and thus never developing the required skills: understanding and summarising information, or turning rough ideas into polished text.

Due to the looseness of the term “AI”, LLMs are also drawing attention – and perhaps resources – away from more useful forms.

At an SG60-themed conference on Tuesday (Jul 29), Prime Minister Lawrence Wong noted that not all AI applications are equally useful, saying: “Most of us use AI the way we use Google – that is not exactly the best way to use AI or to harness the potential of AI.”

He stressed that LLMs are just one small part of AI, with other areas having far more potential.

Even as Singapore encourages broad-based adoption of AI, the country must “think equally hard about applying technologies like AI in a meaningful and deliberate manner that creates jobs for Singaporeans”, he said.

The climate cost

For those with no attachment to the old-fashioned notion of thinking for oneself, the widespread use of GenAI might not be an issue.

The true problem is that trivial GenAI use exacts a real environmental cost, for often dubious gains.

Take Grok, the GenAI model created by X, formerly known as Twitter. Since late 2024, the data centre powering this LLM has made headlines for guzzling electricity and water, polluting nearby waterways and emitting greenhouse gases.

And this is just one of many resource-hungry data centres that are crucial for powering AI models. Such facilities consume high amounts of water and electricity to keep their servers cool and running.

In the current climate crisis, the proliferation of data centres might seem almost profligate. Even as nations try to cut emissions and energy use, every ChatGPT query adds to the carbon burden.

Of course, as with anything else, AI use should be subject to cost-benefit analysis. Many data centres may be supporting truly meaningful work: AI applications that reap concrete gains, for companies or for the government.

When smart factories use data analytics to reduce energy consumption and cut waste, for instance, the gains from doing so should more than offset the cost of powering such AI tools.

In contrast, it is depressing to consider the carbon cost of the trivial GenAI queries that are being made en masse each day.

And even when AI use is purported to improve productivity, we should question the real savings being achieved. Is the time saved in getting ChatGPT to produce a corporate-speak e-mail, for instance, really worth the resources burned?

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Tools & Platforms

AI anxiety: How technology is turning travel into a trap — and what you can do about it – Santa Fe New Mexican

Published

37 minutes ago

September 6, 2025

Christopher Elliott

AI anxiety: How technology is turning travel into a trap — and what you can do about it Santa Fe New Mexican

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Tools & Platforms

AI technology targets traffic safety, aims to reduce 40,000 annual U.S. roadway deaths

Published

1 hour ago

September 6, 2025

Natalie Fahmy

AI technology is being used all around us to help bolster safety, and a recent innovation is aiming to help prevent traffic accidents.

“It really is one of the biggest crises in the U.S., to see 40,000 people a year dying on our roadways,” Vice President of Rekor Systems Paul Zamsky said.

Rekor Systems was founded in 2017, with the goal of using AI and roadway data to make drivers safer.

“Detecting where crashes have happened without having to wait for a 911 call or identifying the areas that are riskier so that we could identify potential preventative measures and work with agencies to help prevent crashes from happening,” Zamsky said.

Zamsky said the technology has been out in pilot form for a few years now across the USA, and said it is more than just using historic data of crash hot spots.

“There’s weather, there’s contextual driving behavior like are you swerving, accelerating, decelerating, is there an event happening, is there construction happening,” he said.

Data from cars helps the company identify risky roadways and possible solutions. Zamsky said all the data they do get is anonymous and in an aggregated fashion; he said the car acts almost as a virtual sensor.

“That enables us really to see what is happening on the road without having to have physical infrastructure, millions of dollars of hardware and cameras and everything put on the side of the road to be able to understand those roadways,” Zamsky said.

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Tools & Platforms

TECNO Showcases Slim Smartphones and AI-Powered Laptops at IFA 2025

Published

4 hours ago

September 6, 2025

Brendan Frye

With a 6mm-thick smartphone and a sub-900g AI laptop, TECNO is trying to show IFA that thin doesn’t mean underpowered.

TECNO is set to take centre stage at this year’s IFA ShowStoppers in Berlin with a showcase that highlights both design finesse and artificial intelligence integration. Under the theme “The Thinnest Power Duo,” the company will present its ultra-slim smartphone, the Tecno Slim, first shown at MWC 2025, alongside the featherlight Megabook S14 AI laptop.

The TECNO Slim builds on the excitement generated when attendees first went hands-on with the device at Mobile World Congress. Now arriving in its mass-production form, it is ready to hit the market. Measuring under 6 mm thick, the phone is billed as the world’s slimmest 3D-curved device, promising to balance its sleek body with a large-capacity battery and strong performance. The handset features a high-end display and AI-driven functions, targeting users who want both elegance and substance without compromise.

TECNO Showcases Slim Smartphones and AI-Powered Laptops at IFA 2025

Having played around with the TECNO Slim in Barcelona, I am eager to see how it fares in real-world use. With its lightweight and thin design, it is hard not to be excited to see if it can hold up against modern flagship phones.

On the computing front, TECNO’s Megabook S14 makes its debut as the lightest 14-inch OLED AI laptop at just 899 grams. The device is powered by either Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite or Intel’s Core Ultra 9, offering strong performance both online and offline. Among its integrated AI tools are real-time meeting transcription, presentation drafting and intelligent photo management.

“We are excited to join IFA ShowStoppers with products that challenge industry conventions,” said Jack Guo, General Manager of TECNO. “The TECNO Slim and MEGABOOK S14 represent our commitment to delivering meaningful innovation – proving that consumers no longer need to choose between elegant design and powerful performance.”

TECNO Showcases Slim Smartphones and AI-Powered Laptops at IFA 2025

Beyond the headlines, TECNO is also unveiling its ever-expanding AI-powered ecosystem. The brand will showcase a lineup that includes the Megapad Pro tablet for students and professionals, True 2 AI earbuds with noise cancellation and spatial audio, the Watch GT AI smartwatch, and the AI Glasses Pro — the first eyewear to integrate a 50-megapixel imaging system. The Megabook K Series laptops, already available in Spain and France, will also feature as part of Tecno’s push into broader European markets.

Visitors attending ShowStoppers on Sept. 4 at Berlin Messe will have the opportunity to test these new devices firsthand at TECNO’s booth at Table 21. The company says hands-on demos will highlight both AI features and the seamless ecosystem connectivity that continue to define its “Stop At Nothing” philosophy. Stay tuned to CGMagazine for all the news out of IFA and beyond.

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