Actress Archana Puran Singh has expressed concern over the environmental impact of artificial intelligence. She recently shared a video on social media featuring her husband, Parmeet Sethi, and their sons, Aaryamann Sethi and Ayushmaan Sethi. The family was seen driving through Mumbai’s Malad area while discussing the city’s ongoing water shortage.As they travelled through the locality, they pointed to the challenges residents are facing due to limited water availability. Their conversation soon shifted from the local crisis to the wider environmental effects of modern technology.
Ayushmaan and Aaryamann share their views
During the discussion, Ayushmaan spoke about the irony of technological progress amid basic civic issues. He said, “we have AI and all of that and yet we are not able to provide just basic amenities”. His brother, Aaryamann, then highlighted the amount of water required to power AI systems. He said, “AI is drinking more water”.
Archana explains her concern about AI
Joining the conversation, Archana elaborated on why she believes AI has an environmental cost. She explained that the technology relies on large-scale infrastructure, which requires significant amounts of water for cooling and operations. She said, “Every time you ask a question in chat, you know, tons of water is used for that answer”.Ayushmaan also shared how learning about AI’s environmental impact influenced one of his own projects. He revealed that he had been working on creating an AI avatar before deciding to stop after hearing about the amount of water consumed in the process. He said, “In fact, when I was making an episode in which I was making my AI avatar, somebody said that this wastes so much water and after that I just stopped only. I was like, I don’t want to do that”. Reacting to the revelation, Aaryamann expressed his frustration over unnecessary use of the technology. He said, “They use AI for no reason. For no reason, they use it for time pass”.
Mumbai’s water challenges
The family’s discussion comes as Mumbai continues to face concerns over water availability despite the onset of the monsoon. Although rainfall increased during the final week of June, reports suggest groundwater levels have not recovered significantly. Experts have pointed to rapid urbanisation and widespread concretisation as major factors limiting natural groundwater recharge. Climate experts continue to monitor changing weather patterns linked to multiple factors, including the effects of the Super El Niño. Several European countries are also experiencing severe heatwaves as well.
