Middle East: ChatGPT identified as potential threat in water-stressed MENA

Although there are a number of innovative research programs targeting AI's vast resource consumption, for the time being, advanced AI-powered language learning models (LLM) like GPT-3 and GPT-4 require huge amounts of water to cool down. This is a serious issue in drought-prone areas with high water insecurity, such as the MENA region, which is the most water-scarce region in the world. Qatar, Israel, Lebanon, Iran, Jordan, Libya, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, for example, rank in the top ten most water-stressed countries worldwide. 

On top of this, the region already has high water usage, with a reliance on large-scale air conditioning systems and desalination plants for freshwater; over 75% of worldwide desalinated water is in the Middle East and North Africa. Further, while water conservation is increasingly top of mind; currently, only 18% of wastewater is actually recycled. The MENA, specifically, is home to less than 2% of the world's renewable water, and projections are that water availability per capita is expected to be halved by 2050. The use of AI models like ChatGPT on a large scale could exacerbate the already precarious situation.

Yet, the announcement of G42-backed Astra Tech, creating the first Arabic language AI chatbot, shows that companies in the region are advancing full steam ahead. These advancements are supported by the government, too, as seen in the UAE's new AI strategy, through which it aims to become an AI world leader by 2031. Just recently, HE Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, and President-Designate of COP28, announced that AI will be central to the UAE's economic diversification and growth. In February, Dubai's DEWA even became the first utility in the world to adopt ChatGPT technology. 

The situation is similar in Saudi Arabia, where similar goals have already been laid out. Likewise, a 2022 IPSOS global survey found that 76% believed that AI has more benefits than drawbacks in the Kingdom.

Considering the region's lofty sustainability pledges, it will be interesting to see how the situation develops and how it will balance the tech's evolution with water conservation.