About 50 members of a community outside Chile’s capital spent Saturday trying their best to power an entirely human-operated chatbot that could answer questions and make silly pictures on command, in a message to highlight the environmental toll and water usage of artificial intelligence data centers in the region.
FILE - Clouds hover over the Andes Mountains in Santiago, Chile, June 19, 2024. About 50 residents of a community outside Chile’s capital spent Saturday trying their best to power an entirely human-operated chatbot that could answer questions and make silly pictures on command, in a message to highlight the environmental toll ofOrganizers say the 12-hour project fielded more than 25,000 requests from around the world.
Asking the Quili.AI website to generate an image of a “sloth playing in the snow” didn't instantly produce an output, as ChatGPT or Google's Gemini would. Instead, someone responded in Spanish to wait a few moments and reminded the user that a human was responding. Then came a drawing about 10 minutes later: a penciled sketch of a cute and cartoonish sloth in a pile of snowballs, with its claws clutching one and about to throw it. “The goal is to highlight the hidden water footprint behind AI prompting and encourage more responsible use,” said a statement from organizer Lorena Antiman of the environmental group Corporación NGEN. The answers came from a rotating crew of volunteers working on laptops in a community center in Quilicura, a municipality at the urban edge of Santiago that has become a data center hub. Asked by an Associated Press reporter for the identity of who made the sloth drawing, the website responded that it was a local youth who's helping with illustrations. The website responded quickly to questions that drew on residents' cultural knowledge, like how to make Chilean sopaipillas, a fried pastry. When they didn't know the answer, they walked around the room to see if someone else did. “Quili.AI isn’t about always having an instant answer. It’s about recognizing that not every question needs one," Antiman said."When residents don’t know something, they can say so, share perspective, or respond with curiosity rather than certainty.” She said it's not designed to reject the “incredibly valuable” uses of AI but to think more about the impacts of so much “casual prompting” on water-stressed places like Quilicura. The backdrop behind the campaign is a debate, in Chile and elsewhere, about the heavy costs of AI usage. Data center computer chips running AI systems require huge amounts of electricity and some also use large volumes of water for cooling, with usage varying depending on location and type of equipment. Cloud computing giants Amazon, Google and Microsoft are among a number of companies that have built or planned data centers in the Santiago region. Google has argued that the Quilicura data center it switched on in 2015 is the “most energy efficient in Latin America” and has highlighted its investment in wetlands restoration and irrigation projects in the surrounding Maipo River basin. But itChile has faced a decade of severe drought, which experts say contributed to theCopyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.Hundreds protest in downtown San Antonio as part of nationwide day of action against ICERemember to protect your pets and plants during cold weather temps this weekendSights and Sounds: Hundreds protest against ICE in downtown San AntonioSan Antonio’s all-female Paintball Ladies aims to foster empowerment, communitySan Antonio’s free Cowboy Breakfast returns to Frost Bank Center0:58Culinary students, instructors & volunteers prep for Cowboy BreakfastCybersecurity expert warn of rising ghost tapping scam targeting credit cards, digital walletsFlight aborts takeoff, avoids collision after private plane entered runway at San Antonio airportKSAT's Erica Hernandez describes moment law enforcement deployed tear gas on protestersKSAT's Erica Hernandez captures crowd of protesters as they headed toward Dilley detention facilityKSAT's Erica Hernandez captures crowd of protesters as they headed toward Dilley detention facilityTensions rise between protesters and law enforcement at Dilley immigration facilityVITA San Antonio offers free tax preparation for residents earning $65,000 or less▶Immigration attorney says ongoing lockdown at detention facility in DilleyProtesters gather in Dilley to march to immigration detention centerUT San Antonio reopens Institute of Texan Cultures at Frost TowerProperty owner battles CPS Energy over power pole dispute: ‘Where are our rights as landowners?’East Side group receives $250,000 grant to prevent youth crime through community engagementSan Antonio councilwoman gets probation, lower charge in DWI case plea dealMan sprays unknown substance toward Rep. Ilhan OmarNASA aircraft makes belly landing at airport in Houston200+ blood donation appointments canceled, missed due to winter storm in San AntonioIs your TikTok not working properly? Here's what you should knowGov. Greg Abbott adds Bexar County to disaster declaration during winter weather
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A chatbot entirely powered by humans, not artificial intelligence? This Chilean community shows whyAbout 50 members of a community outside Chile’s capital spent Saturday trying their best to power an entirely human-operated chatbot that could answer questions and make silly pictures on command, in a message to highlight the environmental toll and water usage of artificial intelligence data centers in the region.
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Read more »