In the face of escalating climate change, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies emerges as a compelling solution, despite the ethical and environmental implications it raises.
But stringent regulations and a more conscious utilization of the technology are imperative to ensure that the potential benefits of AI in combating climate change are harnessed responsibly and sustainably.
WEF Global Risks Report
In the latest WEF Global Risks report, climate change and risks related to artificial intelligence (AI) topped the chart for the top 10 global risks in the coming decade. The report also points to the interconnections of economic, geopolitical, societal risks with environmental and technological risks. As the world navigates short-term shocks from inflation and wars, it is more critical than ever that we do not lose sight of the long-term risks that could upend our future.
The Environmental Impacts of AI
AI has existed since the 1950s, but with the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, it surged into the mainstream. Within two months, the chatbot attracted more than 100 million active users. While ChatGPT has spotlighted AI’s potential to boost efficiency, increase access to knowledge, and reshape entire industries, the technology has detrimental impacts on the environment and raises ethical concerns associated with its training and deployment.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently revealed that just saying “please” and “thank you” to ChatGPT adds tens of millions in computing costs due to higher energy use. The environmental impacts of AI stem from energy consumption in training the AI models, inference from daily use of AI tools, water usage to cool the data centres that power it, and hardware carbon footprint.
Open AI reportedly consumed some 1,287 MWh of electricity to train its GPT-3 model – the equivalent to the energy needed to power over 120 US homes for a year. Due to the sheer volume of queries processed daily, inference accounts for over 60% of AI’s total carbon footprint.
Ethical Concerns and Risks of AI
As AI becomes more embedded in business processes, other ethical concerns are surfacing. These include data privacy, lack of transparency and accountability for AI-driven decisions as well as job displacement.
In a 2024 MIT Sloan Management Review Survey, 52% of respondents said they believe that organizations are not sufficiently expanding their risk management capabilities to address AI-related risks. Transparency and accountability issues also arise when AI technologies are known to operate as “black boxes”, leaving no room for human interventions when it generates outputs without clear explanations of their reasoning.
The dilemma over whether AI will replace all jobs reflects a tension between technology disruption and opportunity.
Climate Change and Transition to Clean Energy
When it comes to climate change, the debate often feels binary. On the one hand, scientists are calling for a complete ban on fossil fuels – the main contributor to global emissions. On the other hand, skeptics argue that a total decarbonization is not possible due to costs, lack of infrastructure and its potential impact on the job market.
