Run Your Private Practice with AI (Artificial Intelligence)

102. AI and Energy Use, the Real Story Therapists Aren’t Looking At

Kym Tolson Episode 102

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0:00 | 18:58

The conversation around AI and energy use has gotten loud, and if you care about the planet, it can leave you feeling guilty every time you reach for a tool that would actually save you from burnout. Maybe your teenager has told you you're ruining the planet. Maybe a colleague keeps forwarding you articles about data centers. Maybe the guilt is all coming from you.

In this episode of Run Your Private Practice with AI, I dig into the research I did to finally answer the question I keep getting from therapists. There are two very different conversations happening about AI and energy, and they keep getting tangled together. I separate them, walk through the actual numbers, and share what surprised me once I sat down and really looked.

AI Tips You Don’t Want to Miss:

  • The two AI energy conversations that keep getting mixed up, and why only one of them is worth worrying about.
  • A grounded way to put your whole year of AI notes into perspective against the everyday things you already do.
  • Why being a telehealth provider already puts you ahead on carbon emissions before AI even enters the picture.
  • How to build an interactive lead magnet in Claude using Artifacts.
  • Using Cowork and Netlify to get an interactive page hosted and clickable when your usual platform won't cooperate.

Mentioned in this episode:

AI and Energy Use Freebie to download: https://kymtolson.kartra.com/page/opt-in-energy-use

Little Bird AI: http://Littlebird.ai for two months free use code F3Q6ESFA

Run Your Private Practice with an AI Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/aiprivatepractice

Berries https://www.heyberries.com/therapists

EPOCH AI STUDY (ChatGPT Energy)
Title: How much energy does ChatGPT use?
Link: https://epoch.ai/gradient-updates/how-much-energy-does-chatgpt-use
Published: February 7, 2025

NPJ DIGITAL MEDICINE STUDY (Telehealth Carbon)
Title: Telemedicine and the environment: life cycle environmental emissions from in-person and virtual clinic visits
Link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41746-023-00818-7
Published: May 9, 2023

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