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🗞️ Driving the news: Recent research investigates the potential of AI to further innovation and the shift towards clean energy solutions
• The study was led by Marion Dumas, with contributions from Eugenie Dugoua and Pia Andres, focusing on AI's impact on low-carbon innovation
🔭 The context: The term "AI for the planet" is a popular notion amongst clean tech enthusiasts. AI, regarded as a General Purpose Technology, has the capability to revolutionize multiple sectors, similar to the impacts of electricity and the internet
• However, AI can also boost productivity for fossil-fuel based technologies
🌎 Why does it matter for the planet: Research indicates that AI positively impacts the shift to a low-carbon economy
• To match the efficiency and affordability of older technologies, renewable energy and electric vehicles can leverage AI's swift advancements
⏭️ What's next: Further analysis is underway, but researchers analyzed a global patents database, finding that clean energy technologies more frequently utilize AI and ICT knowledge than their less eco-friendly counterparts
💬 One quote: "By creating new opportunities for clean technologies, spillovers from AI boost the incentives for companies to work on clean technologies." (Marion Dumas, Assistant Professorial Research Fellow at the Grantham Research Institute)
📈 One stat: Clean energy patents rely on AI and ICT patents 2 to 3 times more on average than dirty energy patents
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