From Harvard’s metaLAB, I took a look at the project Ocean Amplification. The project uses a machine-learning algorithm to build photorealistic simulations of waves. What’s interesting is that the height of the waves reference energy consumption — not the overall energy consumption of the world, but instead the energy consumed by the program itself. I think that the choice to self-reference energy usage is impactful as it presents the liability of energy usage regardless of the cause. It reminds me of a documentary about sustainability I watched in high school, that acknowledged the energy taken to travel, record, edit, and stream all of the materials that went into the movie. It brings to attention that processes used to better the world are not ones without drawbacks, that while they aim to solve the problem of climate change they also continue to contribute to it. In the case of this project, I think that the use of AI here is useful in creating a prominent statement. It allows users to see a representation of the program behind the waves, using the visual of wave height to understand how stronger computation requires more power. Without the use of machine learning, this piece could perhaps still show its consumption of energy, but I think it’s important that AI is integrated into its message to show how that consumption of energy is increasing with time as the algorithm improves.