Dear Editor,

I am writing to bring the issue of Diablo Valley College’s artificial intelligence, concerning water consumption, to the forefront of your attention. Artificial intelligence has quickly become fundamentally ingrained into the educational culture of this school. It is no secret that many students rely on artificial intelligence to complete their schoolwork.

However, the liberal usage of artificial intelligence cannot be solely blamed on the students. Many instructors incorporate artificial intelligence into their curriculum. Class lesson plans directly ask students to use artificial intelligence tools such as Google’s NotebookLM to summarize content. Having artificial intelligence baked into the structure of classes essentially forces students to use it, as abstaining will result in them falling behind.

Although it is true that artificial intelligence can be a helpful education resource, there is a significant downside. Artificial intelligence takes a massive toll on our environment because it is powered by data centers that use large amounts of freshwater for cooling purposes.

I urge The Inquirer to spread information to students and instructors alike regarding the water consumption of artificial intelligence so they can make informed decisions. Furthermore, I encourage The Inquirer to spotlight other educational resources available, such as the library, so students do not feel forced to use artificial intelligence to succeed.

Here is a link to an article from the Lincoln Institute on the water consumption of these data centers:
https://www.lincolninst.edu/publications/land-lines-magazine/articles/land-water-impacts-data-centers/

Sincerely,
Samantha Klein
Pleasant Hill, CA