Comment – you can kid some of the people..

I was piqued yesterday, by an article settling us all down about AI (the technology, not the cow thing)  which makes some good points about inequalities in society and so called ‘disruptive’ technologies, with the long view via 2000 years of history of the Chinese dynasties. Have a read here.

So this got me thinking, and I asked ChatGPT (other AI technologies are available) ‘please can you draw a cutting edge autonomous tractor working in the fields of the UK?’ This is the picture accompanying the article, before everyone get doe eyed about Terracotta tractors being ‘back in the game’.

Next up, I asked ‘Thanks, how much energy did it take to produce this image?’  the answer being Each image generation typically consumes about 2 to 6 watt-hours (Wh) of electricity, depending on complexity, model size, and server efficiency.  This lead to the inevitable carbon footprint question and the subsequent answer:

Alright! Let’s work it out:

1. Energy use:

   • Let’s assume the image generation used about 4 watt-hours (Wh) (a good middle point between 2–6 Wh).

2. CO₂ emissions per kWh (depending on country energy mix):

   • Global average is about 0.4 kg CO₂ per kWh.

   • UK average (much cleaner, thanks to wind/solar/nuclear) is around 0.2 kg CO₂ per kWh.

Now converting:

• 4 Wh = 0.004 kWh

• CO₂ footprint = 0.004 kWh × 0.2 kg CO₂/kWh

• = 0.0008 kg CO₂

• = 0.8 grams of CO₂

At this point, I smelt a rat.. and asked Was this image produced with UK energy? The answer:

Great follow-up — the image wasn’t necessarily produced using UK energy.

Here’s why:

• The image was generated in a data center, and OpenAI’s servers are distributed globally.

• Most of these data centers are located in places like the US and Europe, but they don’t tie directly to your location (like the UK).

• So even though you’re in the UK, the energy used to generate the image probably came from a mix of global electricity sources — which is why the global average CO₂ value (~0.4 kg/kWh) is a fairer baseline in reality.

I don’t know how you read this exchange, but I think that the AI deliberately used the UK average emissions, whilst simultaneously knowing that the energy to produce the image wasn’t  UK energy.. Did it just lie?

Anyway AI is available to help smooth your warranty claims department, support the sales process with spurious data (no change there) and generally make true the ‘lies, damn lies and statistics’ quote. I’ll bet it can’t change a tyre though!

In other news, and sadly not a surprise, Ukraine’s grain exports are notably down since 2022. Meanwhile the Wildlife Trusts have bought a chunk of land on the Rothbury Estate in Northumberland complete with 4000 sheep, and are having to re-evaluate old prejudices regarding ‘wooly maggots’.

Have a good week, and we could still do with some rain…

Andy