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Why using ChatGPT is not bad for the environment - a cheat sheet

andymasley.substack.com · 10,443 words · saved by 1 readers

My post on why ChatGPT is not bad for the environment got a lot of readers. It’s 9,000 words and written to be read from beginning to end, which is a lot to drop on someone. This post will be a cheat sheet for that post, framed around every common environmental objection to using ChatGPT. I’ve broken it up so you can skip around and only read sections relevant or interesting to you. I add new arguments and intuitions. If you think I’m getting anything wrong I’d be excited to update this with the most accurate numbers. Please let me know in the comments or at AndyMasley@gmail.com. The question this post is trying to answer is “Should I boycott ChatGPT or limit how much I use it for the sake of the climate?” and the answer is a resounding and conclusive “No.” It’s not bad for the environment if you or any number of people use ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Grok, or other large language model (LLM) chatbots. You can use ChatGPT as much as you like without worrying that you’re doing any harm to

This post will be a cheat sheet for answering every environmental objection to using ChatGPT. I’ve broken it up so you can skip around and only read sections relevant or interesting to you. If you think I’m getting anything wrong I’d be excited to update this with the most accurate numbers. Please let me know in the comments or at AndyMasley@gmail.com. The question this post is trying to answer is “Should I boycott ChatGPT or limit how much I use it for the sake of the climate?” and the answer is a resounding and conclusive “No.” The numbers are completely clear and final, and anyone…

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