AI likely to increase energy use and accelerate climate misinformation – report

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🗞️ Driving the news: A coalition of environmental groups has expressed concerns over the notion that artificial intelligence (AI) will benefit the climate crisis, pointing out that it is more likely to increase energy consumption and propagate climate disinformation

🔭 The context: AI has been lauded for its potential to address environmental issues through applications like tracking deforestation, identifying pollution, and predicting extreme weather
• However, a report from these groups warns of significant energy use by data centers needed for AI and an increase in climate disinformation

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: The report emphasizes the potential for AI to exacerbate the climate crisis by significantly increasing energy demands, with predictions of data center emissions rising by 80%
• It also highlights the role of AI in spreading false information about climate science, undermining efforts to address global heating

⏭️ What's next: The report calls for greater transparency regarding AI's energy consumption and measures to curb the dissemination of climate falsehoods
• The dialogue on AI's impact on the climate crisis underscores the need for a balanced approach that recognizes both the technology's potential benefits and its environmental costs

💬 One quote: “We seem to be hearing all the time that AI can save the planet, but we shouldn’t be believing this hype,” said Michael Khoo, climate disinformation program director at Friends of the Earth

📈 One stat: AI servers could consume as much energy as Sweden in just a few years, highlighting the growing energy demands of the technology

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