We no longer have to think for ourselves.  Finally.

 I think a primary difference is we are all contributing through private money and not exclusively taxes.  

https://www.understandingai.org/p/16-charts-that-explain-the-ai-boom

Y'all DO know that the easiest "jobs" for AI to take over are management, don't you?

 I sure hope so.

Ask it.

WebsterMark wrote on Yesterday at 08:19:02:

Brilliant!
Are you AI?

I added up the number of posts for me, Sew and Eegore since they were right above me. Figured an average of 75 words per post and asked AI to estimate how much electricity we consumed. Not as much as I thought.

Key takeaway:
500-600 kWh (like powering an average U.S. fridge for 2-3 years or a small household for 1-2 months).

Full answer:
Estimating the electricity used for 55,000 forum posts (each ~75 words) by three people is challenging because it involves multiple components: typing/composing the posts on user devices, transmitting data over networks, server processing/storage, and reading/replying (which drives most forum activity). Forum energy use is dominated by viewing pages rather than creating posts, as each post is typically read many times.
Here’s a reasoned estimate, focusing primarily on the activity tied to creating and sustaining these posts (composition, upload, and associated viewing). I’ll use conservative, evidence-based assumptions from studies on internet energy intensity.
Key Assumptions
•  Average forum page size: ~500 KB transferred per view (text-heavy forums are lighter than the global average of ~2-3 MB per page; older forums even smaller).
•  Energy intensity of data transmission: ~0.06-0.8 kWh per GB (recent studies suggest lower end for efficient networks; older ones higher). I’ll use 0.2 kWh/GB as a midpoint for end-to-end (networks + partial device/server allocation).
•  Typing one post: ~5 minutes on a laptop (~20-30W incremental power), negligible compared to other factors.
•  Views per post: Conservatively 50-100 (real forums often have 100-1,000+ views per active post over years; low estimate here to avoid overstatement).
•  Post size for upload: Tiny (~5-10 KB text), negligible energy.
Rough Calculation
1.  Energy for composing/typing the posts:
     •  55,000 posts × 5 minutes/post = ~275,000 minutes (~4,583 hours total across three people).
     •  At ~25W average device power draw while typing: ~115 kWh total.
     •  This is spread over years, but it’s the direct user-side cost for creation.
2.  Energy for uploading posts and server processing:
     •  Negligible (~microwatt-hours per post; data upload is tiny).
3.  Energy for viewing/reading the posts (main driver):
     •  Assume average 75 views per post (midpoint; realistic for active threads over years).
     •  Total page views driven by these posts: 55,000 × 75 = 4.125 million views.
     •  Data transferred: 4.125 million × 0.5 MB = ~2,062 GB.
     •  Electricity: 2,062 GB × 0.2 kWh/GB = ~412 kWh.
Total Estimate
•  Low end (few views, efficient networks): ~200-300 kWh (equivalent to running a 100W light bulb for 3-4 months continuously, or one household’s monthly use).
•  Mid/realistic end (including typing + moderate views): ~500-600 kWh (like powering an average U.S. fridge for 2-3 years or a small household for 1-2 months).
•  High end (many views, heavier pages): Up to 1,000-2,000 kWh if posts were very popular.
This is tiny in global terms—the entire internet uses hundreds of TWh annually, and 55,000 posts represent a microscopic fraction. For context, one hour of video streaming by one person can use more electricity than all these posts combined.
If the forum is old/low-traffic (few views beyond the three posters), the total drops to mostly just the typing energy (~100-200 kWh). Accurate numbers require forum-specific logs (views, page sizes), but this order-of-magnitude estimate shows it’s equivalent to everyday household appliances over years—not a significant environmental impact.