On a recent Saturday, a group of roughly fifty residents from Quilicura, a municipality located on the outskirts of Chile's capital Santiago—an area noted for its numerous data centers—collaborated to operate a unique chatbot system entirely powered by humans rather than artificial intelligence. The event spanned about 12 hours, during which the human-operated system responded to over 25,000 requests originating from across the globe.
Unlike conventional AI chatbots such as ChatGPT or Google’s Gemini that instantly generate answers and images, this manual system required users to wait for a human reply. For example, when a user requested the site to generate an image of a "sloth playing in the snow," the initial response indicated a brief hold due to the human element behind the answer.
Approximately ten minutes later, the chatbot provided a pencil sketch showing a playful, cartoon-styled sloth nestled among snowballs, gripping one in its claws, ready to throw it. The illustration was created by a young local volunteer contributing to the project’s artistic efforts.
Lorena Antiman, an organizer affiliated with the environmental organization Corporación NGEN, explained that the initiative’s primary intent was to draw attention to the extensive water usage linked to AI-driven data centers and to promote more conscientious AI utilization.
The participants, rotating among laptops within the community center, fielded questions that sometimes drew upon their cultural insights. Queries about traditional Chilean recipes, such as how to prepare sopaipillas (a type of fried pastry), were answered promptly, while questions beyond their knowledge prompted volunteers to consult peers in the room until a suitable response was found.
Antiman emphasized that Quili.AI’s purpose was not to offer immediate responses but rather to foster a mindset where not every question necessitates an instant answer. The project encourages acknowledging when answers are uncertain, sharing perspectives, and responding thoughtfully.
She further clarified that the campaign does not oppose the "incredible value" artificial intelligence offers but aims to raise awareness about the environmental impact associated with high-frequency AI prompting, particularly in drought-affected locales like Quilicura.
This regional campaign occurs amid ongoing debates within Chile and other parts of the world concerning substantial resource consumption by AI ecosystems. The computation supporting AI requires vast electrical power and, in many instances, significant quantities of water for cooling purposes. The demands vary depending on the infrastructure type and location.
Quilicura’s proximity to Santiago has attracted cloud computing giants such as Amazon, Google, and Microsoft, who have established or plan to develop data centers in the vicinity. Google, for instance, asserted that its Quilicura data center, operational since 2015, ranks as Latin America’s most energy-efficient facility, highlighting contributions to environmental restoration projects in the nearby Maipo River basin.
Nonetheless, concerns linger, as legal disputes have arisen over water use for some projects near Santiago. These issues resonate regionally, as Chile has been enduring a long-term drought, exacerbating wildfire risks and other ecological challenges.