AI Use Among Students

Students, and young people, are among one of the largest demographics of people who use AI in the present day.

Students use AI for a great deal of reasons. Some of which are listed below.

• Enhanced learning efficiency
• Personalized learning & feedback
• Creative brainstorming
• Content generation (art, photo, video, text)
• Everyday questions

Our main goal is for companies to reach zero emissions with their AI models, and believe they are mostly responsible for AI’s environmental impact. Be that as it may, there are still things people like you and I can do. We want to bring awareness to how we as individuals can limit our own AI use, in turn, lowering emissions.

When it comes down to it, we believe everyone needs to be more mindful of what they are using AI for, and how much they are using it. According to fusionchat.ai, a google search uses around 0.0003 kWh of energy. Whereas ChatGPT’s energy use is much higher averaging about 0.0029 kWh. That is nearly 10 times the amount of energy! And that is just for a simple search. When generating images, AI models use between 0.011 and 0.015 kWh, depending on quality and complexity of the image. This is approximately enough energy to charge your phone half way… There are a few reasons for this. One is because google search mostly retrieves and ranks pre-existing data when it gets a request, or search from a user. It is an efficient process because of how optimized the data centers and algorithms are. Because AI models are newer, they are not as optimized. In turn, using more energy.

While we understand AI has it’s advantages for generating/analyzing certain kinds of content, we urge users to be more mindful of what you are using this technology for considering the energy consumption.

If you’re wondering what the best cat food is for your furry friend, ask google. Not a large scale AI model.

Looking Forward

AI is transforming how students learn, offering personalized feedback, creative tools, and new ways to explore ideas. It’s helping students work smarter, not harder, by tailoring learning to their needs and inspiring creative projects.

But there are challenges too. Overusing AI can make it easy to skip developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Plus, there are ethical concerns, like plagiarism, and privacy issues since AI companies often store and analyze user data.

Then there’s the environmental impact. AI tools, especially for tasks like generating images or complex answers, use a lot of energy—much more than a simple Google search. With students being major users of AI, it’s important to consider how that adds up.

The key is balance. AI can be a fantastic tool, but students need to use it responsibly—saving it for tasks that truly benefit from its power and sticking to simpler tools when they’ll do the job. Learning and sustainability can go hand in hand if we stay mindful.