IsThisBS?

A fact-check by IsThisBS? rates as 'Mostly True' the claim that generating a single image with generative AI consumes more than ten times as much energy as processing a text prompt, citing available measurements that generally support the ratio but noting the multiplier varies with model, hardware, and output settings. The site also rated as 'Not BS' the claim that twenty ordinary text prompts to an AI system consume approximately 6 watt-hours of data-centre energy, and as 'Mostly BS' the claim that Google Gemini's median prompt uses 0.24 watt-hours.

TECH · Aug 9, 2026 The Claim Generating a single image with generative artificial intelligence consumes more than ten times as much energy as processing a text prompt. HARDLY BS — Verdict: Mostly True Available measurements generally support a greater-than-tenfold energy difference between AI image and text generation, with some studies reporting much larger ratios. However, the multiplier is not universal: model choice, hardware, output settings, and the definition of a text request can produce lower comparisons. The statement is therefore broadly accurate but too categorical. Read the check → TECH · Aug 9, 2026 Claim: Google Gemini's independently measured median prompt uses 0.24 watt-hours of… MOSTLY BS GENERAL · Aug 9, 2026 Claim: Bill Gates intends to cause the end of the world by releasing mosquitoes from… TOTAL BS HEALTH · Aug 5, 2026 Claim: Zoey, a character in the film KPop Demon Hunters, has diabetes. TOTAL BS HEALTH · Aug 3, 2026 Claim: A Patient Health Questionnaire-9 PHQ-9 score of 10 or higher indicates that… MOSTLY BS HEALTH · Aug 9, 2026 Claim: Taking cold showers provides health benefits. HARDLY BS HEALTH · Aug 6, 2026 Claim: Eating smoked foods increases the risk of cancer in humans. HARDLY BS HEALTH · Aug 5, 2026 Claim: Zoey, a character in the film KPop Demon Hunters, has diabetes. TOTAL BS HEALTH · Aug 3, 2026 Claim: Numerous medical conditions and polypharmacy use of multiple medications combinations, many of which are common, can… NOT BS SCIENCE · Aug 8, 2026 Claim: Approximately 2% of the global population has green eyes. HARDLY BS SCIENCE · Aug 5, 2026 Claim: Scientists warned that there is a secret base on the Moon after a giant fleet of UFOs was spotted on the Moon's… HARDLY BS SCIENCE · Aug 4, 2026 Claim: The Dead Sea is the lowest point on Earth's land surface. NOT BS SCIENCE · Aug 1, 2026 Claim: Dolphins evolved from terrestrial land-dwelling mammals whose ancestors later returned to living in the water. NOT BS POLITICS · Aug 7, 2026 Claim: The United States approved potential sales of approximately 5,250 Patriot PAC-2 and PAC-3 interceptor missiles to… SOME BS POLITICS · Aug 2, 2026 Claim: Pakistan has deployed 250 Chinese-made howitzers along the India–Pakistan border. HARDLY BS POLITICS · Aug 2, 2026 Claim: Japan has joined Horizon Europe. HARDLY BS POLITICS · Aug 2, 2026 Claim: The Israel Defense Forces eliminated Salem Jamal Abd al-Rahman Abu Labad, who was described as a Hamas Nukhba cell… HARDLY BS FINANCE · Aug 8, 2026 Claim: Chief executive officers have less influence on company performance than is commonly assumed. SOME BS FINANCE · Aug 6, 2026 Claim: U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles U.S. GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards IFRS have… NOT BS FINANCE · Aug 6, 2026 Claim: International Financial Reporting Standards IFRS prohibit the use of the Last-In, First-Out LIFO inventory costing… NOT BS FINANCE · Aug 6, 2026 Claim: Differences between IFRS and U.S. GAAP in revenue recognition, lease accounting, and accounting for intangible assets… NOT BS TECH · Aug 9, 2026 Claim: Twenty ordinary text prompts to an artificial intelligence system consume approximately 6 watt-hours of data-centre… NOT BS TECH · Aug 9, 2026 Claim: Google Gemini's independently measured median prompt uses 0.24 watt-hours of electricity and produces approximately… MOSTLY BS TECH · Aug 9, 2026 Claim: Generative artificial intelligence assistance can increase worker productivity, with larger productivity gains for… NOT BS TECH · Aug 5, 2026 Claim: Frontier large language models achieve similar aggregate accuracy on public benchmarks. HARDLY BS HISTORY · Aug 9, 2026 Claim: The first commercially produced bottles of Coca-Cola contained cocaine. NOT BS HISTORY · Aug 6, 2026 Claim: Humans landed on the Moon. NOT BS HISTORY · Aug 1, 2026 Claim: The population shortfall estimate underlying the “10 million” figure was calculated by comparing a 1924 national… TOTAL BS HISTORY · Aug 1, 2026 Claim: The Democratic Republic of the Congo held its first official national census in 1984. MOSTLY BS LEGAL · Aug 6, 2026 Claim: Utah House Bill 29 2024 applies to all Utah public schools and Utah charter schools. NOT BS LEGAL · Jul 24, 2026 Claim: In Norway, an AI service provider is legally allowed to disclose user-provided information to the police if the… MOSTLY BS LEGAL · Jul 18, 2026 Claim: In a federal lawsuit involving Connecticut’s statewide voter registration list, U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley… NOT BS LEGAL · Jul 13, 2026 Claim: The European Union’s recast Energy Efficiency Directive adopted in 2023 will substantially change how data centers… HARDLY BS GENERAL · Aug 9, 2026 Claim: Hasan Piker said, "We're here to destroy the White race." HARDLY BS GENERAL · Aug 9, 2026 Claim: Bill Gates intends to cause the end of the world by releasing mosquitoes from the World Mosquito Program production… TOTAL BS GENERAL · Aug 4, 2026 Claim: K2 is the hardest 8,000-meter peak to climb. HARDLY BS GENERAL · Aug 4, 2026 Claim: Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest free-standing mountain in the world. NOT BS TECH · Aug 9, 2026 Claim: Twenty ordinary text prompts to an artificial intelligence system consume… NOT BS GENERAL · Aug 9, 2026 Claim: Hasan Piker said, "We're here to destroy the White race." HARDLY BS HISTORY · Aug 9, 2026 Claim: The first commercially produced bottles of Coca-Cola contained cocaine. NOT BS HEALTH · Aug 9, 2026 Claim: Taking cold showers provides health benefits. HARDLY BS