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Ai andWater Usage: A Soulpreneur’s Perspective on Sustainability

When considering my training program for soulpreneurs about learning and implementing AI, a thoughtful potential participant wrote:

Learning AI together sounds much better than trying alone. However, I am most concerned about the environmental impacts and water usage in particular…

That’s a really important question, and trust me I get it — if you’re someone who cares deeply about the planet, it’s natural to feel conflicted about using AI tools. (Little known fact: I have a masters degree in sustainable business!)

Let’s explore this together. I think the answer is both reassuring and empowering:

The Environmental Cost of AI — Let’s Put It in Perspective

Yes, AI systems, like ChatGPT, use a lot of water. Data centers need to stay cool, and water is an important part of that cooling process. But here’s the thing — when we look at the actual numbers, the impact of using AI tools is surprisingly small.

To put that in perspective, streaming just one hour of Netflix or YouTube HD uses about 3 liters of water — compared to the average hour of using AI chat such as ChatGPT (including the cost of training, amortized among users), costs about half-liter… or 5x less water than Netflix/YouTube!

Think about it — which activity is more productive for your personal/professional growth and your ability to deliver positive impact in the world? Watching videos for an hour, or having a thoughtful conversation with AI for an hour about your challenges and your goals? AI would cost the environment 5x less water.

So, while it’s true that AI has an environmental footprint, it’s relatively tiny compared to other everyday activities we don’t think twice about…

• Gaming for just 1 hour uses 1–2 liters of water, similar to 2–4 hours of AI chats.
• Printing 25 pages has a similar carbon footprint to dozens of AI queries.
• The average American uses 300 liters of water per day at home — an hour of AI chats would equal 0.2% of that!

The comparison becomes even more dramatic when we look at alternatives from the physical world. Consider the classic method for deep research: a trip to the library. An hour-long drive to and from a library can consume over 35 liters of water (factoring in the water used to produce and refine the fuel) — 60x more than an hour with AI.

Producing and shipping a single paperback book uses 8 liters of water — more than 10 hours of AI conversations.

In that context, the half-liter of water for an hour of transformative AI coaching isn’t just a small cost — it’s an incredible environmental bargain, compared to old methods.

The Bigger Picture: AI’s Potential to Help the Planet

Here’s the good news: AI isn’t just a tool — it’s a force multiplier for sustainability. Let me explain.

AI is already being used to solve some of the world’s biggest environmental challenges. For example:

• Smart irrigation systems powered by AI are reducing water usage in farming by 20–30%.
• AI is helping to predict droughts, saving billions of dollars in damage and countless lives.
• Energy grid optimization through AI could reduce global emissions by at least 10% by 2030.

In other words, the water and energy used to power AI tools are often outweighed by the massive environmental benefits they enable. It’s like using a teaspoon of water to save gallons down the line.

The Trajectory Toward Sustainability

Water and energy are expensive. Tech companies have a powerful financial incentive to cut consumption — every innovation in cooling technology saves them millions.

The three companies whose cloud infrastructure run almost all AI services — Microsoft, Google, Amazon — have all committed to becoming “water-positive” by 2030, meaning they’ll replenish more water than they consume. Innovations like air-cooling systems, water recycling, and relocating data centers to water-rich regions are already reducing the environmental impact. AI itself is being used to make data centers more efficient. For example, Google uses AI-powered systems to cut cooling energy usage by 30–40%.

You’re participating in a system that’s relentlessly optimizing itself to be less wasteful.

A Cost-Benefit Perspective

As a soulpreneur, your occasional use of AI — for content creation, automation, or research — has an environmental cost that may be similar to drinking a bottle of water. But the benefits? They’re exponential. AI can help you:

• Optimize your business processes, saving time and resources.
• Create content that helps to positively transform your audience’s mindset and behaviors.
• Solve problems and unlock knowledge that might otherwise take hours — or even days — to figure out.

What’s the environmental cost of the alternative? Manual research, inefficient processes, and missed optimization opportunities often have a much larger hidden footprint.

Think of it this way: every drop of water used by AI is amplified across millions of users. It’s not just about what you gain — it’s about the ripple effect of your work. By using AI to grow your business authentically, you’re creating a positive impact that far outweighs the tiny environmental cost.

Empowering Action: What You Can Do

If you’re still feeling uneasy, here are a few steps you can take to align your AI use with your values:

1. Choose sustainable AI providers: Microsoft (CoPilot AI), Google (Gemini AI), and Amazon (which powers Anthropic’s Claude AI) have all publicly committed to renewable energy and water stewardship, especially being “water-positive” by 2030.
2. OpenAI’s ChatGPT is run on a combination of Microsoft and Google’s cloud services, so essentially they are all moving towards more efficient and eco-friendly operations.
3. Use AI intentionally: Focus on queries that help you save time, reduce waste, and create meaningful positive impact.
4. Ask AI for sustainability tips: For example, you could ask, “How can I reduce my household water usage?” or “How might I gracefully encourage and inspire my clients toward eco-friendly practices?”

Final Thoughts

Using AI doesn’t mean you’re turning your back on the planet. In fact, when used thoughtfully, it can be a net-positive tool for sustainable development. So, the next time you feel a twinge of guilt about asking AI a question, remember: it’s not about perfection — it’s about progress. And as soulpreneurs, we’re here to make progress, one intentional step at a time.

Let me know if this helps ease your concerns, or if you have additional questions or data to add. We’re all in this together 🙏🏼😊

(This post was of course written in partnership with AI — several of them including ChatGPT o3, Google Gemini Pro, Claude Opus 4. and George Kao’s AI. If interested in learning & implementing AI tools, within a supportive community, check out AI Mastery for Soulpreneurs.)