The trend of AI action figures on LinkedIn is "clearly not sustainable," cautions a UK tech entrepreneur.

      If you’ve been browsing social media in the past week, you might have come across tiny action figure replicas of friends, family, or coworkers packaged neatly in blister packs. These plastic representations are the newest AI-driven photo craze taking over the internet, particularly on LinkedIn. Following digital avatars and Studio Ghibli-style selfies, we now have action figures created using ChatGPT's free image generator.

      While it seems entertaining, a closer look reveals significant issues beneath the surface. Unfortunately, sustainability is not part of this action figure trend.

      Mel Morris, founder of the research engine Corpora.ai and former chairman of King, the company behind Candy Crush, has criticized the environmental implications. "The trend of LinkedIn action figures and its reliance on GPUs is clearly unsustainable," he stated.

      Some researchers suggest that generating text using AI consumes 20-30 times more energy than a conventional search, depending on the model used. Moreover, producing AI-generated images from text prompts reportedly requires at least double that energy, based on data from HuggingFace.

      “GPUs aren't limitless,” Morris remarked. "They come with a carbon footprint, and this kind of casual overuse highlights how out of touch we've become with the real costs of these tools.”

      The International Energy Agency's recent figures predict that energy consumption from data centers—including AI applications—will double over the next five years, reaching 3% of global energy usage. Almost half of this energy is expected to be derived from burning fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas.

      “As someone in technology, I see the potential of AI, but not at any price,” Morris expressed. "For us to achieve sustainable innovation, we must understand what true progress entails—I’d wager it’s not just the excitement of posting your AI-generated figurine."

      AI and sustainability are prominent topics at the upcoming TNW Conference happening on June 19-20 in Amsterdam. Tickets for the event are currently available, and you can use the code TNWXMEDIA2025 at checkout to receive a 30% discount.

      Published April 15, 2025 - 11:31 am UTC