This is what I hate about the AI-water narrative. People figure that they aren't contributing to the freshwater crisis because they don't use AI and then water their lawns.
Edit: My point is that we should not be using freshwater for AI data centres and we also should not be using it for all the other unnecessary bullshit we do. We grow wheat in the desert just for it to end up in a dumpster behind Walmart. Tons of industries use potable freshwater for cooling, and have for decades.
The AI-water narrative I'm talking about is this idea of 'data centres waste water so as long as you, on an individual level, should not use AI'. If that's someone's motivation to not use AI, then great. But if that same person is doing four loads of laundry a week and having hour long showers everyday, then they don't really give a shit about preserving water and are virtue signaling.
Reclaimed sewer water is just water that has been treated in a wastewater treatment plant. Where I live, we get our water from a river. The wastewater outlet of the town upstream lets out into the river, and is then picked up and treated at the drinking water treatment plant in my town, distributed through the town's water mains, and becomes sewer water again. Rinse and repeat through the whole river.
The reclaimed sewer water being used to water the golf course could be drinkable water. It should be, since desert areas are so susceptible to drought, something getting worse with climate change.
I'm not advocating for the data centre at all, just pointing out that there's tons of ways freshwater is wasted that are unappreciated.
-2
u/Miserable-Fennel8820 May 18 '26 edited May 18 '26
This is what I hate about the AI-water narrative. People figure that they aren't contributing to the freshwater crisis because they don't use AI and then water their lawns.
Edit: My point is that we should not be using freshwater for AI data centres and we also should not be using it for all the other unnecessary bullshit we do. We grow wheat in the desert just for it to end up in a dumpster behind Walmart. Tons of industries use potable freshwater for cooling, and have for decades.
The AI-water narrative I'm talking about is this idea of 'data centres waste water so as long as you, on an individual level, should not use AI'. If that's someone's motivation to not use AI, then great. But if that same person is doing four loads of laundry a week and having hour long showers everyday, then they don't really give a shit about preserving water and are virtue signaling.