Generative AI is reliant on prompt technological improvements, including to hardware infrastructure as well as to chips. The upgrades needed to keep pace with the technology’s growth could compound existing e-waste issues, depending on the implementation of waste-reduction measures. One scenario predicts that total e-waste creation due to generative AI could grow as high as 5 million metric tons between 2023 and 2030, with annual e-waste potentially reaching 2.5 million metric tons by decade’s end. That’s more or less the equivalent of every person on the planet discarding a smart phone.
