The environmental impact of artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) has raised high hopes as a tool to address some of the world’s biggest environmental crises. From tracking climate change to protecting biodiversity, its potential is clear.

However, its rapid growth comes with serious environmental costs. Data centers require massive amounts of energy and water, as well as rare minerals that are often extracted in unsustainable ways. In many cases, this infrastructure adds to the global warming that AI is meant to help fight.

“There is still a lot we don’t know about the environmental impact of AI, but some of the data we do have is worrying,” says Golestan Radwan, Director of Digital Transformation at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

The challenge is clear: how to use the power of artificial intelligence without damaging the health of the planet.

Source: United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)