Is sustainable deep learning possible?

Not surprisingly, researchers are working on new methods with a view to reducing the carbon footprint of these machines. In June, American company OpenAI unveiled the world's largest text generator. Called GPT-3, the new artificial intelligence (AI) model can, among other things, write creative fiction and translate legal jargon into plain English, two functions that have been achieved using deep learning. However, above and beyond these technological breakthroughs, it is important to bear in mind that the creation of this new tool generated an enormous amount of pollution. The extent to which deep learning and computing are polluting is often overlooked. A recent study by the University of Massachusetts has shown that the training of a deep learning machine, which can take several hours or even days, can produce up to 283,000 kilograms of greenhouse gas.