Ai vs AI: Question 41/81

How much energy did you use to answer this question?

Ai Weiwei: Responding to any question undoubtedly consumes energy. For me, it merely constitutes a facet of engaging in the playful dynamics of language.

ChatGPT (AI), January 2024: I do not have a quantifiable measure of energy usage, as I am a software program running on servers. My responses are generated based on computational processes.

ChatGPT (AI), January 2025: The amount of energy I use to respond to a question is very difficult to quantify precisely for a single interaction, as it involves multiple layers of infrastructure. However, I can explain the general process and the factors involved:

Energy Usage in AI Responses:
Data Processing: The energy consumed depends on how complex the computation is. Simple responses, like a brief fact or definition, require less processing power compared to complex, multi-step reasoning or more detailed explanations.

Server Infrastructure: My responses are generated on large server farms that host the model. The energy consumption of these servers includes:

Power for servers: These servers run on electricity and are part of a network that handles AI processing.
Cooling: Data centers require significant amounts of energy to cool down servers to prevent overheating during high processing loads.
Transmission: Sending data over the internet, which involves routers, switches, and data cables, also consumes energy, though the amount is relatively small compared to the computation itself.

Estimates of Energy Usage:
While the exact energy used to generate a response can vary, studies have suggested that large-scale language models, like mine, can consume a notable amount of energy per query. For instance, some estimates suggest that for every response or interaction, the energy cost can range from a fraction of a watt-hour to several watt-hours depending on the complexity of the request and the infrastructure supporting it.

Comparing to Everyday Activities:
To put this in perspective, a single interaction with me might consume roughly the same amount of energy as browsing a webpage or using a smartphone for a few minutes, though it’s hard to give an exact comparison without more specific data from the underlying servers.

In short, the energy consumed for each individual query is quite small on its own but can add up when considering large-scale use across millions of queries. Data centers and AI companies are increasingly focusing on making their operations more energy-efficient, and some even use renewable energy to reduce their environmental impact.

Would you like to know more about the environmental impact of AI or how energy is used in data centers?

To coincide with the exhibition, 81 Questions – a series of 81 hand-signed and embossed screen prints featuring the 81 questions posed by Ai Weiwei – are available exclusively on CIRCA.ART for £500+VAT.

“Each Lego brick pixel represents a person”, says Ai Weiwei, who incorporates the plastic construction toy – a readymade material incorporated into many of his most recent works – into his print design for the first time. The black egalitarian pixel font and embossed baseplate combine technology with artisanal craft to create this thought-provoking and playful reflection on today’s world. Each print in the series of 81 Questions is hand-signed and numbered by the artist in editions of 81.