AI Policy

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a technological advancement with the potential to change how humans interact with the world around them. It can be applied to logistics and operations for hospitals, militaries, academic research, state run intelligence programs, social media content creation. It has already been shown to impact equity from interpersonal interactions to cultural and institutional level change.

The One Earth on Fire Artist Collective strives to make environmentally conscious decisions. Due to the unsustainable resource needs, AI art is prohibited unless being used to make a statement about the use of AI in art and thoroughly recorded. If art is created from an AI reference picture, it must be submitted with the AI reference picture. AI can be used to create art if necessary for accessibility within reason.

The use of AI is banned for artist statements, blog or social media posts, and submitted printed material unless otherwise discussed and labeled.

The major consideration in this decision is water usage. In 2023, NPR shared that the United Nations World Water Development Report estimated that “2 billion people around the world do not have access to clean and safe drinking water, and approximately 3.6 billion people – 46% of the world’s population – lack adequate sanitation services.” (NPR, 2023) Water is a key resource that is already being impacted by the harsh realities of the climate disaster. To learn more about water conservation, check out Save the Water.

Shaolei Ren, an Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at University of California – Riverside examined the water footprint of AI models in a 2023 article for the OECD Artificial Intelligence Policy Observatory. Although AI water usage lacks transparency, he estimates that “global AI demand may even require 4.2 – 6.6 billion cubic meters of water withdrawal in 2027.” (OECD, 2023)

We at Earth on Fire know that the environmental impact of creating a graphic with AI is not the same as the footprint of AI models used in military operations like the Israeli “Lavender” or for megacorporation operations.

Personal choice will never be more powerful than collective action. We hope to foster a space for authentic human innovation and believe that water should be used in other ways. By sharing practices and policies around AI usage we hope to create a standard to protect independent property and provide financial opportunities to artists.

If you have any questions or concerns about this policy please contact us at 1earthonfire@gmail.com.

Sources:
UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme. “The United Nations World Water Development Report 2023: Partnerships and Cooperation for Water.” UNESCO.Org, 2023, www.unesco.org/reports/wwdr/2023/en/download.

Bayram, Seyma. “Billions of People Lack Access to Clean Drinking Water, U.N. Report Finds.” NPR, NPR, 22 Mar. 2023, www.npr.org/2023/03/22/1165464857/billions-of-people-lack-access-to-clean-drinking-water-u-n-report-finds.

“Ai’s Use of Water.” Save The Water, 12 Jan. 2024, savethewater.org/ais-use-of-water/.

Ren, Shaolei. “How Much Water Does AI Consume? The Public Deserves to Know.” OECD.AI, 30 Nov. 2023, oecd.ai/en/wonk/how-much-water-does-ai-consume.

Iraqi, Amjad. “‘Lavender’: The AI Machine Directing Israel’s Bombing Spree in Gaza.” +972 Magazine, 25 Apr. 2024, www.972mag.com/lavender-ai-israeli-army-gaza/.