[HSK 5] AI用水有多惊人？ - How Shocking Is AI’s Water Use?

The discussion explores the water consumption behind AI queries, the placement of data centers in water-scarce regions, the gap between water offset claims and real impacts, and the role of public oversight.

AI用水有多惊人？ - How Shocking Is AI’s Water Use? [HSK 5]Download the app here:

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Chinese Listening | 중국어 리스닝 | 中国語リスニング | Аудирование по китайскому языку | Nghe tiếng Trung | Mendengarkan bahasa Mandarin | Escucha en chino | การฟังภาษาจีน | Chinesisches Hören | Écoute du chinois | Ascolto cinese | Audição em chinês | चीनी सुनना | الاستماع إلى اللغة الصينية

《English Translation》

赵强: Have you read that Xinhua article? It said how much water AI uses for each answer, and the result was quite shocking.
黄刚: I did. The article said data center cooling and power plant operations both require water, and a single query can use over ten milliliters.
赵强: Ten-plus milliliters doesn’t sound like much, but if you ask a thousand questions a day, that’s ten liters—about a whole bottle of mineral water.
黄刚: What’s even scarier is that many data centers are built in water-scarce areas, making local residents’ drinking water even tighter.
赵强: So it’s not just a global total issue, but a local supply risk. One large data center could drain residents’ wells.
黄刚: AI companies say they achieve water neutrality through wetland restoration or groundwater recharge, but often not in the same location.
赵强: That sounds like ‘balanced on paper, unbalanced in reality.’ What can ordinary people do?
黄刚: For example, residents in Pima County, Arizona, rejected a high water-consuming data center project—an example of successful public participation.
赵强: This shows that protecting water requires hearing all sides: not only company reports, but also real local conditions and community concerns.
黄刚: Right. We should enjoy the convenience of AI while advocating water conservation and sustainable development, and maintain rationality and responsibility toward technology.