Author
Ms Shruthi Srinivasan
Organisation/Institution
Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC India)
Country
INDIA
Panel
Environmental Law
Title
Hidden Costs of Artificial Intelligence: Water Footprint and Environmental Inequities in the Global South
Abstract
Rapid proliferation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has accelerated the global demand for computational infrastructure such as data centers, driving unprecedented growth in demand and consumption of energy and water. While the energy costs of AI are explored widely by scholars, the water footprint and the broader ecological burden of AI systems, borne disproportionately by the Global South, remain significantly understudied. This paper investigates how the scale of uptake and use of AI disproportionately affects the Global South - regions characterised by water scarcity, gaps in regulatory capacity and socio-economic inequity, among other vulnerabilities. By mapping patterns of water extraction and regulatory gaps, we demonstrate that the ecological impacts of AI are spatially unequal. Further, through a focused analysis of the environmental disclosure documents of leading AI service providers, we highlight inconsistencies in disclosure requirements, inadequacies in transparency and how this translates to ineffective monitoring of critical factors like groundwater over-extraction and pollution of water sources. The paper also highlights gendered consequences of AI's water-footprint, including the increased burden on women in water-scarce regions. Building on evidence on electricity consumption, water consumption, thermal and chemical pollution of water sources by data-center operations, this paper situates AI's proliferation within a longer history of industrial revolution that has brought with it ecological damage, borne unequally by the Global South. The paper concludes with recommendations for legislative reforms that strengthen regulatory oversight through compulsory disclosures and data architecture that allow access to high-quality, real-time, reliable data for governance, monitoring and policy interventions.
Biography
Shruthi Srinivasan is an early-career researcher, managing a mixed portfolio of research and policy engagements at the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC India). She co-leads the research and expansion efforts of the Emissions Trading Scheme in India. Shruthi is a trained lawyer and brings extensive experience in legislative and policy research. Prior to joining EPIC, Shruthi was a Senior Policy Associate at J-PAL South Asia, where she supported evidence generation, synthesis, and dissemination in the Social Protection and Governance sectors. Shruthi was also a Legislative Assistant to Members of Parliament (LAMP) Fellow in the 2020–2021 cohort, leading legislative and policy research, as well as strategic engagements with Members of Parliament.
