One minute of AI-generated video consumes as much electricity as an average household uses in two days, plus seven litres of clean drinking water.
60% confidence
EnvironmentInternational
Omissions
No primary or independent secondary source was found confirming the exact claimed figures (7 litres of water per minute; electricity equivalent to two days of average household use).
Related estimates found differ substantially from the claim: UNU-INWEH (2025) estimated about 4.1 litres of water for a single high-complexity AI video, and at least one media outlet has cited roughly 30 litres per minute of AI video.
The study or report the MEP actually cited could not be located; the claim appears to derive from a source that was not identified in the searches.
Sources consulted provide general context on AI energy and water footprints (UNU-INWEH; MIT News) but do not contain the claimed per-minute figures.
Sources
PrimaryUNU-INWEH (United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health)News page on the UNU-INWEH report on the environmental cost of AI's energy use: 'Every kilowatt-hour of AI electricity also carries a water footprint, from cooling and generation, and a land footprint, from infrastructure and ...' Related reporting citing this UNU research states that generating a single high-complexity AI video can consume approximately 4.1 litres of water, a figure not found on this page in the search results.
SecondaryMIT NewsMIT News article exploring the environmental and sustainability implications of generative AI technologies and applications, including energy and water use; it does not state the specific figures claimed (7 litres of water or two days of household electricity per minute of AI video).