arXiv:2507.20018cs.CYcs.AI2025-07被引 4

大模型训练碳排放堪比数百辆汽车,亟需绿色转型。

The Carbon Cost of Conversation, Sustainability in the Age of Language Models

  • 通过案例分析量化大模型的碳排、耗水与电子垃圾
  • 单次训练碳排放相当于数百辆汽车年排放量
  • 适合关注AI可持续性与科技伦理的研究者

大型语言模型如GPT-3和BERT虽革新了自然语言处理,但其环境代价长期被忽视。本文通过GPT-4与Mistral 7B等案例,量化其碳足迹、用水量及电子废弃物产生。训练一个大模型的碳排放相当于数百辆汽车全年行驶的排放量,数据中心冷却加剧了脆弱地区的水资源短缺。企业绿色洗牌、冗余模型开发与监管空白持续造成伤害,尤其加重全球南方边缘群体负担。文中提出可持续路径:技术层面(如模型剪枝、量子计算)、政策层面(碳税、强制排放披露)与文化层面(以必要性取代盲目创新)。通过对谷歌、微软等领先者与亚马逊等滞后者的对比,强调伦理问责与全球协作的紧迫性。若不立即行动,人工智能的生态代价将超过其社会收益。文章呼吁将技术进步纳入地球边界,构建兼顾人类与环境福祉的公平、透明、再生型AI系统。

原文摘要 · Abstract (English)

Large language models (LLMs) like GPT-3 and BERT have revolutionized natural language processing (NLP), yet their environmental costs remain dangerously overlooked. This article critiques the sustainability of LLMs, quantifying their carbon footprint, water usage, and contribution to e-waste through case studies of models such as GPT-4 and energy-efficient alternatives like Mistral 7B. Training a single LLM can emit carbon dioxide equivalent to hundreds of cars driven annually, while data centre cooling exacerbates water scarcity in vulnerable regions. Systemic challenges corporate greenwashing, redundant model development, and regulatory voids perpetuate harm, disproportionately burdening marginalized communities in the Global South. However, pathways exist for sustainable NLP: technical innovations (e.g., model pruning, quantum computing), policy reforms (carbon taxes, mandatory emissions reporting), and cultural shifts prioritizing necessity over novelty. By analysing industry leaders (Google, Microsoft) and laggards (Amazon), this work underscores the urgency of ethical accountability and global cooperation. Without immediate action, AIs ecological toll risks outpacing its societal benefits. The article concludes with a call to align technological progress with planetary boundaries, advocating for equitable, transparent, and regenerative AI systems that prioritize both human and environmental well-being.

AI环保碳排放可持续性

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