It's National AI Day, which probably feels like a made-up holiday, especially if you're a..bee? Let me explain. As AI gradually becomes part of everyday life and millions of us use ChatGPT for dozens of reasons, it's important to understand why this day of awareness might be better spent considering the environmental impacts of AI that reach far beyond the walls of a data center. Researchers at the University of Sydney say the rapid growth of AI is driving a surge in electricity demand, and if that electricity comes from fossil fuels, the resulting emissions could contribute to climate change in ways that threaten one of the world's most important pollinators: bees.The growing energy demands of AI could contribute to climate warming, which in turn puts additional stress on bee populations. Simply put: less bees, more expensive food.Here's what the research found.Why AI uses so much electricityTraditional internet searches already require large data centers to process and return results. Generative AI adds another layer of computation.According to the study, generating an AI response can require significantly more computing power than a conventional web search, meaning each interaction uses more electricity. As AI adoption accelerates, so does the demand for new data centers capable of supporting those workloads.The International Energy Agency has also projected that electricity consumption from data centers will more than double by the end of the decade, with AI expected to account for a substantial share of that growth.That doesn't automatically translate into higher emissions. It depends on how those facilities are powered. Data centers running on renewable energy have a much smaller carbon footprint than those relying on electricity generated from coal or natural gas.Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.What bees have to do with AI