Unpacking Google’s AI Claims: Why Experts Argue That ‘5 Drops of Water’ Misrepresents Effective Text Prompts

Amid ongoing discussions about the environmental impact of AI, Google released a study claiming its Gemini AI assistant has a minimal ecological footprint. The company calculated that each text prompt uses just five drops of water and a tiny amount of electricity—comparable to watching TV for less than nine seconds. However, experts are skeptical about these claims.

Critics argue Google’s estimates are much lower than previous research, which highlighted the significant energy and water needs of AI servers. Some experts feel that the company’s findings don’t paint the entire picture, as important data about indirect resource usage was left out.

Shaolei Ren, an associate professor at UC Riverside, expressed concern saying, “They’re just hiding the critical information.” His studies indicate that AI technologies consume large amounts of water and contribute to air pollution. The omission of indirect factors, like the water used in cooling systems, creates a misleading representation of Gemini’s environmental effects.

Data centers, which house AI and other digital services, either exacerbate local water shortages or require increased electricity generation, impacting the environment further. Indeed, a 2023 report found that the majority of water consumed by data centers stems from electricity production.

Alex de Vries-Gao, an environmental studies PhD candidate, emphasizes that Google’s report shows only “the tip of the iceberg.” He contends that a more thorough analysis should include the overall water and energy consumption of their operations, not just the immediate impact of individual prompts.

Moreover, Google did not provide a complete view of its carbon emissions. Instead of using the more standard “location-based” measure, which reflects the local energy mix’s impact, it relied on a “market-based” metric, which may understate its environmental contribution.

While Google points to recent efficiency improvements—claiming a 33-fold reduction in energy consumption per prompt over a specific period—critics warn that overall demand could still lead to increased emissions. In fact, Google’s own sustainability report showed an increase in carbon emissions, despite its efforts to promote AI advancements.

Google is open to peer review of its findings and continues to express a commitment to improving its ecological impact. Nonetheless, as users and experts alike scrutinize these claims, the conversation about the real environmental costs of AI technologies will likely persist.



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