It’s the most transparent estimate yet from one of the big AI companies, and a long-awaited peek behind the curtain for researchers.

Amid growing concerns about the environmental impact of artificial intelligence, Google says it has calculated the energy required for its Gemini AI service: Sending a single text prompt consumes as much energy as watching television for nine seconds.

In an industry first, Google has published data on the energy usage and emissions of its Gemini chatbot, aiming to clarify AI's environmental impact.

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Google is rolling out an update for Gemini that will allow the AI chatbot to “remember” your past conversations without prompting. With the setting turned on, Gemini will automatically recall your “key details and preferences” and use them to personalize its output.

Google announces a major reduction in the energy used by its Gemini AI. The company reports a 33-fold decrease in energy consumption per text prompt. Carbon footprint also sees a significant drop. These improvements come from optimising hardware and software.

Starting today, Google Docs users will be able to turn documents into audio files, allowing them to listen instead of read. This can be especially helpful if you find listening to information easier to digest,

Google estimates that a median Gemini text prompt uses up about five drops of water, or 0.26 milliliters, and about as much electricity as watching TV for less than nine seconds, roughly 0.24 watt-hours (Wh), which produces around 0.03 grams of carbon dioxide emissions.