Correction: Using the Merlin app does NOT involve AI.

I just discovered that my last post, “The Cost of AI,” has an important error. Peter Repetti sent me this comment:

Laura, thank you for raising these environmental cost questions, as they are genuinely important and not transparent. I wanted to offer one clarification on Merlin, because I think it actually reflects well on Cornell’s design choices.

Merlin’s Sound ID runs entirely on your phone — no data center connection required during active use. Cornell’s own documentation states that “Sound ID runs on your device, without requiring a network connection,” and their FAQ confirms that recordings are not transmitted automatically. The download you do upfront during initial installation is what makes local inference possible. And again, I don’t think there are data available about what it took to train their model initially, but besides battery life on your phone, whether you run it for 60 seconds or 60 minutes, I don’t think there is a significant difference in water/energy use.

Your larger points — that we lack transparent accounting of these costs across the industry (and how “apps” can distract while in the field) — absolutely stands.

I’ve corrected the post itself, but wanted to make certain that all my subscribers knew that using Merlin in the field does NOT involve AI.