The artificial intelligence industry has skyrocketed in recent years, powering technologies behind smart speakers and self-driving cars, but that growth is coming at a cost. Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst recently conducted a study assessing the energy consumption required to train several common large AI models. The study revealed that the training process can emit over 626,000 pounds of carbon dioxide, nearly 5x the lifetime emissions of an average car, or the equivalent of about 300 round-trip flights between New York and San Francisco. The benefits from the advancements in AI and other emerging technologies at the expense of the environment are simply not worth it, say many industry experts who are urging big tech companies to ramp up their sustainability efforts. Failing to do so could leave the companies' reputations at risk, they said.