Shrinking Deep Learning’s Carbon Footprint

Kim Martineau | MIT Quest for Intelligence

In June 2020, OpenAI unveiled the largest language model in the world, a text-generating tool called GPT-3 that can write creative fiction, translate legalese into plain English, and answer obscure trivia questions. It’s the latest feat of intelligence achieved by deep learning, a machine learning method patterned after the way neurons in the brain process and store information. Some of the excitement over AI’s recent progress has shifted to alarm. In a study last year, researchers estimated that training a large deep-learning model produces 626,000 pounds of planet-warming carbon dioxide, equal to the lifetime emissions of five cars.

Complete article from MIT News.