U.S. optics and photography maker Polaroid has launched an advertising campaign that squarely targets the water use of artificial intelligence (AI) data centres. Rather than criticising AI technology itself, it is highlighting the environmental impact of data centres and stressing the value of an “analog experience.”

Business Insider reported on June 24, local time, that Polaroid installed a large billboard on Coney Island beach in Brooklyn, New York, bearing the message: “Before data centers drink all the water, dive in.”

The campaign is part of a global marketing project titled “Best Summer Ever is Analog,” which is being run alongside the launch of the new instant camera “Go Generation 3.”

Polaroid did not use the word AI directly, but it made data centres that support the expansion of AI services the core target of the advertisement.

The company also carried the same message on Instagram on June 23. Polaroid said, “A day may come when we can no longer enjoy the things we took for granted,” adding, “It’s a bit playful, but the message we want to deliver is clear.” It also said, “Go swimming, go for a walk, and enjoy beautiful, simple and raw analog moments,” stressing the aim of focusing on real-life experiences over digital technology.

The campaign is drawing attention for bringing concerns about the massive amount of water consumed by the AI industry to the forefront of marketing.

Data centres use water directly in the process of cooling servers, and a significant amount of water is also consumed indirectly in the process of generating electricity. In the United States, some large data centres have been found to be permitted to use, in a single day, an amount of water that exceeds the average daily household water use of about 49,000 people.

Polaroid also drew a line, saying it is not denying digital technology itself. Patricia Varella (패트리시아 바렐라), Polaroid’s creative director, said, “This campaign is a provocative message to rethink technology and our relationship with it, but we are not an anti-digital company.” She added, “We stand for humans, and we also know what we stand to lose if we do not protect that.”

The back-and-forth over data centre water use is spreading across the AI industry. Sam Altman (샘 알트먼), CEO of OpenAI, earlier this year pushed back against claims that using ChatGPT requires a huge amount of water, calling them “completely ridiculous.” He said some facilities used evaporative cooling in the past but no longer do, and explained that claims online of excessive water consumption are different from the facts.

Nvidia is also working on technology to reduce water use at data centres. The company recently unveiled a liquid cooling system that can operate stably at higher temperatures. Ali Heydari (알리 헤이다리), head of data centre cooling and infrastructure at Nvidia, said, “We reduced large-scale power consumption and virtually eliminated water use as well.”

In the industry, some say Polaroid’s campaign goes beyond a simple product promotion and serves as a case that has alerted consumers to environmental concerns about the spread of AI. AI companies, on the other hand, stress that they are continuously reducing water use through advances in cooling technology and improvements in infrastructure efficiency, and the debate over the environmental impact of data centres is expected to continue.