Finneas O'Connell Slams Billie Eilish Fanpage for Viral AI-Generated TikTok: 'You Just Killed a Forest'
His comments catalyzed a broader debate on AI's environmental cost.
A viral AI-generated TikTok from a Billie Eilish fan account prompted Eilish's brother, Finneas O'Connell, to call out its environmental impact.
The TikTok, posted by @g4yforbilliee, invites viewers to "guess who killed Billie based on their reactions." While the video has racked up over 730,000 views and over 130,000 likes, Finneas wasn't amused.
@g4yforbilliee proof that i’ll actually post anything #gotowork #billieeilishfanpage #billieeilishfan #iloveyoubillie #billiefp #billiestan #be3 #hmhas
♬ Aleph (Gesaffelstein - sped up) - speed up france
"You killed a forest with this amount of AI and for what," Finneas clapped back. His words gained momentum, catalyzing a broader debate on AI's environmental cost.
The TikTok creator, a self-described high school student, seemed taken aback but receptive:
"I sincerely apologize, I didn't know using AI can cause that. I genuinely just thought it was a funny video," she responded.
"Don't feel bad! I know you're just sharing something that makes you laugh," Finneas later clarified. "AI does unfortunately use a ton of energy and water though!"
Screenshots of the exchange quickly went viral on X as well. Some laughed off Finneas's comment, while others backed him up.
"I have a master's degree in AI, he's not wrong. The energy consumption just for a single query is immense," one X user wrote.
I have a master's degree in AI, he's not wrong. It takes a lot of computations to do that, the energy consumption just for a single query is immense. Imagine having to manipulate photos or worse videos. Remember when you query GPT/Gemini/other LLM chats, you consume 1.5L of water
— Delicate Maroon Dress (@DelicateMaroon) February 20, 2025
"He's right btw ai is weird and also terrible for the environment," another added.
He’s right btw ai is weird and also terrible for the environment
— emma (@emmaluvsbillie) February 20, 2025
Billie has long used her fame to fight for climate action. In her viral video Our House Is On Fire, she pled for people to take the climate crisis seriously.
"The demand for new data centers cannot be met in a sustainable way," Noman Bashir, a Computing and Climate Impact Fellow at MIT said. "The pace at which companies are building new data centers means the bulk of the electricity to power them must come from fossil fuel-based power plants."
