Impact of AI on Climate Change and Solutions

AIbase

Published inAI News · 4 min read · Jul 1, 2024

In the continuous development of the AI field, people are beginning to worry about the impact of AI on Earth, particularly its high energy consumption and carbon emissions. The latest research shows that generative AI queries consume much more energy than traditional search engine requests, up to four to five times the energy of traditional operations. Especially, the energy required for image generation tasks is much higher than that of text-based operations. According to research by Morgan Stanley, the energy demand for generative AI is expected to grow by 70% annually, and by 2027, generative AI may consume as much energy as Spain needed in 2022. This increased energy consumption will lead to higher carbon emissions, potentially further worsening climate change.

With the expected significant increase in daily AI queries, the adoption rate of generative models and the competition among tech companies will also intensify as chatbots and image generators become more prevalent. However, AI could also be our best hope in tackling anthropogenic climate change. With 400 million people living in areas highly vulnerable to climate change, the United Nations is conducting projects in countries such as Burundi, Chad, and Sudan to use AI to help these communities. Additionally, AI systems are helping to address climate change by improving waste management efficiency. For example, London's software startup Greyparrot has developed an AI system that analyzes waste disposal and recycling facilities, helping them better recycle and reuse waste materials.

In addition, the Dutch environmental organization The Ocean Cleanup is using AI and other technologies to clean up plastic pollution in the oceans. AI object detection is helping the organization create detailed maps of ocean waste in remote areas. Subsequently, ocean waste can be collected and cleaned more efficiently than previous methods using trawlers and planes. Plastic pollution exacerbates climate change by emitting greenhouse gases and harming nature. Google's AI research lab, Google DeepMind, states that it is applying AI to help address climate change in many areas.

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