Artificial Intelligence has become part of our everyday lives, whether it’s asking ChatGPT a question, using Gemini, or relying on Microsoft Copilot. But while prompts feel weightless on screen, they come with a real-world cost.

Each query uses electricity and even water. For example, one ChatGPT prompt consumes about 0.34 watt-hours of power and 0.322 milliliters of water. That may seem tiny, but with billions of prompts sent daily worldwide, the total impact grows to massive levels, comparable to the yearly energy use of entire nations.

The International Energy Agency forecasts global data center electricity consumption could exceed 945 TWh by 2030, largely driven by AI workloads. To put that in perspective, this is more than Japan’s current electricity demand.

Although companies are improving efficiency through renewable energy and better cooling systems, the sheer growth in AI usage is outpacing these advances. This raises critical questions: Are we prepared for the environmental cost of convenience? Should users, companies, and governments take greater accountability?

AI may be the future, but understanding its hidden footprint is essential to ensure it doesn’t come at the planet’s expense.