MordorJS and the Ethical Energy Consumption of Generative AI

A Game for the Mind

Developer Peter Vivo released mordorjs as a sci-fi abstraction to challenge the industry’s outsourcing of critical thinking to automated systems. The project highlights the massive energy requirements of modern development, specifically noting the environmental impact of generating over 60,000 AI images in 2024.

Why This Matters

The technical reality of AI agent tasks involves significant energy consumption that is currently opaque to the end user. Without transparent energy reporting for AI models, developers cannot make responsible decisions regarding resource usage, potentially leading to a future of aggressive resource extraction similar to the fictional ‘Moria.’ Ethical AI usage requires bridging the gap between generative convenience and ecological sustainability.

Key Insights

• High-volume AI generation, such as 60,000+ images in 2024, creates significant energy footprints (Peter Vivo, 2024).
• The ‘mordor-project’ is a ‘Final Underground File Format’ designed to be human-interpretable even when encrypted.
• Vertical reading of structured project files can be used to stimulate human cognitive brain function.
• Transparent energy usage reporting is a prerequisite for the ethical use of large-scale AI models.
• The ‘vibe-travel’ concept serves as a metaphor for the preservation of critical thinking against automated judgment.

Working Examples

Installation command for the mordorjs package.

npm install -g mordorjs@latest

The author’s mental model represented as a logical formula.

1John1 + 5John17 |> 1Moses1 = (1Moses2 ... 4.22John21);
alpha & omega = !![];

Practical Applications

• Use Case: Utilizing the mordor-project file format for human-understandable encrypted data storage. Pitfall: Outsourcing too much judgment to AI models leads to a loss of critical thinking and self-inflicted technical debt.
• Use Case: Implementing transparent energy auditing in AI workflows to minimize carbon footprints. Pitfall: Treating planetary resources as infinite during agentic task execution leads to environmental degradation.

References:

• https://dev.to/pengeszikra/a-game-for-the-mind-2mj3
• https://github.com/Pengeszikra/mordorjs