By bbc.com
Publication Date: 2026-03-28 06:33:00
As artificial intelligence continues to expand rapidly, some people have raised concerns about its potential impact on the environment – particularly the use of water used to cool both data centers and the electricity generators that power them.
A recent book on AI made the alarming prediction that AI could consume between 4 and 6 trillion liters per year by 2027. Could this staggering number be true? If not, what is the correct number and is it a large number?
As always, the devil is in the details, and with the help of expert Alex de Vries-Gao, the More or Loss team took a deep dive to find out the truth about AI and water consumption.
If you’ve seen a number in the news and think More or Less should take a look at it, email the team at moreorless@bbc.co.uk
Moderator: Charlotte McDonald
Producer/Reporter: Nathan Gower
Series producer: Tom Colls
Program Coordinator: Brenda Brown
Sound Mixing: Dave O’Neil
Editor: Richard Vadon