A Boston University professor has raised concerns about the environmental impact of generative AI tools, stating that the more powerful the AI, the more energy it takes. While the energy consumption of blockchains has been studied and debated, the impact of AI on the planet has not yet received the same attention. The professor highlighted that a generative AI model with 110 million parameters consumed the energy of a round-trip transcontinental flight, while another model with 175 billion parameters consumed an equivalent amount of energy as 123 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles driven for one year. The professor suggested that more research is needed to make generative AI more efficient, but noted that AI can run on renewable energy.