COP29: AI’s double-edged climate sword will be high on the agenda

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🗞️ Driving the news: COP29 in Baku will feature the first-ever Digitalisation Day, highlighting AI’s dual impact on the climate as both a resource-intensive technology and a tool for climate action, with key stakeholders aiming to align AI innovation with sustainability

🔭 The context: As AI's computational demands drive higher energy usage, cloud providers have seen a 78% increase in electricity consumption since 2023
• Despite this, AI is also a valuable tool for climate monitoring and disaster response, prompting calls for sustainable development in AI infrastructure

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Integrating sustainable practices into AI development is essential as the technology’s carbon footprint grows; without this, AI’s energy needs could hinder climate goals while missing its potential to aid climate solutions

⏭️ What's next: COP29 aims to foster collaboration between digital and environmental leaders, exploring sustainable AI infrastructure options like nuclear-powered and underwater data centers to support green AI applications

💬 One quote: “The question is how we bring back…longer-term thinking into this, while people are racing to build the best AI” – Tomas Lamanauskas, deputy secretary-general of the UN’s ITU

📈 One stat: The World Economic Forum estimates AI computing power is doubling every 100 days

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