Warning

are there any studies or data on the actual consumption of electricity that AI uses? I know that training consumes a lot, but if the usage of it doesn't consume much, it doesn't really matter since it's a one time cost.

It would be on the order of aN intensive video game, maybe. Depends on the size of the model, etc.

Training is definitely expensive but you are right in that it's a one-time cost.

Overall, the challenge is that it's very inefficient. To use a machine learning algorithm to do something that could be implemented deductively is not ideal (On the other hand, if it saves human effort...)

To a degree, trained models can also be retrained on newer data (eg freezing layers, LoRa, GaLore, Hypernetworks etc). Also newer data can be injected into a prompt to make sure that the responses are aligned with newer versions of software, for example.

The electricity consumption is a concern, but it's probably not going to be the end of the world.
- the one place you would use an LLM is going to be something where nothing else can be used, cataloging information for example.
  
  This pretty much lines up with my understanding of AI.

This is such a stupid take, the author is either a lemming or doesn't understand how resources and commodities work

Also it's not a small city, merely a village. Not even a very nice one.
- Not a village. My gaming PC can generate a 200 x 200 avatar in seconds
- That being the case, let's have a couple of avatars.
If you don't explain why you hold this opinion your comment is wasted.
- because people just make shit up and post it on the internet, and other people content with making shit up and posting it on the internet go "wow good post"
  
  and then nobody bothers fact checking anything ever.
  
  like i understand the anti AI sentiment, but please do yourself a favor and use actually good arguments against it, not stupid arguments that make you look incompetent and silly.
- A small city usually requires one gigawatt continuous power. 10 minutes of power is equal to 100k kWh.
  
  A 200x200 GenAI image takes about 2 seconds on an RTX 3060 running at 170W. That 2 seconds of power is equal to 0.000094 kWh.
  
  The meme is off by a factor of 1,063,829,787.

The market only cares if the oligarch I am trading with and me are happy with the transaction. Commons is a tragedy for enjoying the lamentations and tears of the commies.

we will push. we will push the button. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoRyrCjOkdI

It's funny, sad, and kind of true, but to be fair you can create some pretty cool images with AI (think stable-diffusion) even with just mid to high-end consumer hardware.

Do I get to choose the city?

If we all collaborate we can shut down Florida at all times.
- I would object, but I'm on vacation right now. It won't affect me for a week. Generate as much as you can!

Training the models is very resource intensive, but after that it's basically fine. I can run Midjourney image generation on my modest gaming laptop. Takes maybe 30 seconds for a high-resolution image at a laptop's "gaming mode" power consumption.

AI image generation is comparable in electric use to e.g. playing Valheim or Elden Ring.

It's when it's scaled up industrially that it becomes a huge waste of electricity. Me playing Valhelm for 5 minutes is nothing. My startup creating 20000 bots playing Valheim 24/7 is a problem for society.

Yeah. My phone can generate a 512x512 image with Stable Diffusion in like 20 seconds with the right settings.
It's the mining of diamonds that kills all the children. After the diamond is mined, I can use it with almost no child deaths. Diamonds are fine.
- i mean yeah, statistically, an already mined diamond is a child already dead. you would just stop new diamond mining, or move away from child consumptory diamond mining, you aren't going to completely demolish every child diamond in existence though, there's no point, harms already done. Might as well leave them in the market.
- No, using an already-trained model doesn’t “use up” the model in exactly the same way that pirating a movie doesn’t steal anything from Hollywood.
- I mean yeah: if we went and killed every person who benefits from conflict diamonds and closed all blood diamond mines why wouldn't you be cool with using the resources? Their evil origin has little to do with their practical utility and if the original sin is expiated there's no reason not to?
  
  Like yeah conflict diamonds have basically no purpose because we can make diamonds cheaper and better in labs but in a situation where there are more practical uses (cobalt, LLMs) once we cleanse the land of the sinners why wouldn't we use their ill gotten gains for good?
- I see your point and agree with it, but I believe you read more defense in my comment than I tried to put in.
  
  I'm not in favor of this waste.
Is Midjourney available for use locally now? Or have you misunderstood Midjourney taking 30 seconds to generate from their server as happening locally?
- I know a guy that uses Stable Diffusion XL locally with a few LORAs, last time I've heard one 2k image took 2 minutes on RTX 30 or 40 something
  
  IDK how expensive is Midjourney in comparison, but running it locally doesn't sound impossible

click 'no'.

reconfigure.

set dimensions: 50000x50000

DO IT

EMP deployment successful
So, the internet version of the trolly choice problem?
- well no, it's worse actually.
"The name's Plissken."

*BEEP*

<homer>Alright, but it better be good!</homer>

Simpsonml™️

I swear 50% of Mastodon's feed is just people having mass hysteria about AI and not understanding how any of it works

Also constantly getting baited about how AI is definitely the reason global warming is happening despite, you know, waves to virtually everything running on fossil fuels

To be fair the cost benefit ratio of llms is way out of whack. It's even behind outdoor heating in bars.
- It’s the same as my enjoyment of video games, 3D modeling, or video editing - my gpu spins up for a few minutes.
Monkey type inane question, teslacoils power up, screen show smart word words
Ummm, obviously exaggerated but still true, and yeah the fossil fuels are the cause of climate change but AI is driving up the usage.
- Honestly it is makes the problem a little worse. It is far from the cause. You can run AI on clean power.

Don't worry, we're not there yet. It can't even decently generate its own dialog box.

Edit: second version gave me a brain hemmorhage

Cacol
Continue, or Continue Avatar?
it really took "box" seriously there
- That looks a lot better, what did you use? Mine was gpt4 (free account).
  
  Prompt was:
  
  Create a computer dialog box screenshot in mac os aqua style. The title should be "warning". The message must be "this task will cut off power to a small random city for 10 minutes. Would you like to continue creating this 200x200 avatar?". The buttons should read "continue" and "cancel".

Yes ...... power suddenly goes off in their house

Do some people just scroll mastodon till they find a meme to crosspost here? Surly federation has a cleaner way to do this?

As far as I know, not even mbin allows crossposting between the microblog side and the thread side with any kind of attribution. But I agree, we should be able to post it to different parts of the ActivityPub world.
The original poster could @ this community, then it would show up here...
Surly federation has a cleaner way to do this?

I don't know, but even-tenpered federation might. And don't call me Sir Lee.

It’s ten minutes. They’ll survive.

oh no grandma's life support!!
- she’ll survive in spirit

Well "small city" means a decent chance it's some rural town that voted for Drump sooo they get what they voted for ig ¯⁠\_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

as if small cities weren't all over the global south.......
Democrats: "Actually, your town has plenty of power."
If only there was some way to cancel their Narcan shipments, too 🤔
- oh fuck you.

Technically possible to do since you have diminishing returns on accuracy by scaling the operation up.

You could use that much power to generate a 200x200 avatar, if a person had that much authority and actually wanted to.

My AI can do more pixels than your AI.

Lets do it. Full speed ahead.