Othman Adel Al -Abbasi
Our real world gradually turns into a large animated movie, as if we suddenly crept into a fictional world, as personal photos in our calculations have turned into nice cartoon characters, and selfies that we share in the “WhatsApp” of WhatsApp became as if they are intermittent from the anime series or Disney films. Even our minds entered an open vacation thanks to artificial intelligence, we have asked him in every small and large, starting with the prescription of “Al -Mabbous” to the end of school duties that endless for our children. In short, our life turned into a long session of fun technological relaxation.
But amid this digital fun, something strange stopped me that made me think a little different. Imagine with me that the image that turned you into an anime personality or the “GATBT” smart answer that I admired, maybe behind them a different story, has a simple but very precious element: water!
I know very well what is going on in your mind, “What is the relationship of my cartoon image with water, my dear?!”, I will tell you the story in a simple style as if we are in the session of the “coffee of the times” that we all love. Each image or text is generated by artificial intelligence, which is processed in huge data centers with thousands of devices that operate without stopping and exporting high heat, such as the heat of August at noon when you leave your car parked under the sun. This heat needs fast and effective cooling, and the easiest way to date is to use large amounts of pure water.
For example, the “4-GPT” model, which answers you with your questions, consumes almost half a liter of water to produce a short answer of only 100 words. You may think that half a liter is simple, as if you gave the artificial intelligence application a small cup of water after a fatty meal, but imagine for a moment when millions of people use this model daily, we will be in front of complete rivers of water that evaporates only to cool these devices!
Of course, this does not mean that we stop using these enjoyable applications, as technology is not the enemy of the environment as some think, but rather our friend who drives us to think more intelligence. The beautiful thing is that these new challenges have begun to push major companies such as Google, Amazon and Microsoft to create smart solutions, such as using air -based cooling systems instead of water, water recycling, and relying on solar energy available in abundance around us here in Bahrain.
Imagine with me if Bahrain would one day become a leading regional center in green technology, and it embraced data centers that depend entirely on sun energy and innovative cooling techniques that do not waste water. Imagine data centers in the Askar area or the limit, working quietly without wasting one drop of water. Isn’t this a beautiful dream that we deserve to start thinking about it seriously?
I believe that every beautiful image we share, and every question we ask for artificial intelligence applications, brings us closer to an intelligent and sustainable future. The next time you press a button to turn your image into a cartoon character, remember with a light smile that the technology that made you laugh and happy today is the same that will push us to find solutions that maintain our resources and protect us from thirst tomorrow.
In conclusion, I wish you great digital pictures, endless smart answers, and a green future full of smiles … and a cup of fresh water is enough for us and for future generations.
* Technical expert
