> There’s an obvious irony here: I use AI to build an app about AI energy consumption. But the alternative is ignorance, which seems worse.

I looked for this paragraph to be honest. AI energy consumption ignorance is worse than what exactly?

I think the appropriate takeaway here (the abstract notion that AI is energy consuming, but the numbers depend on who where what is analyzed) is to weigh more if an energy-expensive task should still be done to solve today’s problem. I’d rather be ignorant about the numbers but pick my problems right. I’m one of those people who are disappointed that some of the costs humanity is paying for AI has inevitably contributed to generation of copyright-violating nsfw unfunny longform videos, likewise a harmless and probably instructive green-themed project.