Carbon Emissions of Writing and Illustrating Are Lower for AI Than for Humans

[Submitted on 8 Mar 2023]

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Abstract: As AI systems proliferate, their greenhouse gas emissions are an increasingly
important concern for human societies. We analyze the emissions of several AI
systems (ChatGPT, BLOOM, DALL-E2, Midjourney) relative to those of humans
completing the same tasks. We find that an AI writing a page of text emits 130
to 1500 times less CO2e than a human doing so. Similarly, an AI creating an
image emits 310 to 2900 times less. Emissions analysis do not account for
social impacts such as professional displacement, legality, and rebound
effects. In addition, AI is not a substitute for all human tasks. Nevertheless,
at present, the use of AI holds the potential to carry out several major
activities at much lower emission levels than can humans.