The environmental costs and promises of artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) often appears in two extreme forms in popular culture and political analysis. It could either represent the key to a futuristic utopia where human intelligence meets technological prowess, or it could be the first step toward a dystopian rise of machines. Academics, entrepreneurs, and even activists are employing the same binary thinking when applying artificial intelligence to combat climate change.

The tech industry’s singular focus on the role of AI in creating a new technological utopia obscures the ways in which AI may exacerbate environmental degradation, often directly Ways to hurt marginalized people. To make the most of AI technology in the fight against climate change, while acknowledging its massive energy consumption, technology companies leading the AI ​​trend need to explore solutions to AI’s environmental impact.

Artificial intelligence can be a powerful tool in the fight against climate change. For example, AI self-driving cars could reduce emissions by 50% by 2050 by determining the most efficient routes. ​The use of AI in agriculture results in higher yields; groundnut farmers in India achieved a 30% increase in income by using AI technology.

In addition, artificial intelligence can provide faster and more accurate analysis of satellite images, identifying disaster-hit areas that require assistance or rainforest damage. AI-driven data analytics can also help predict dangerous weather patterns and improve accountability by accurately monitoring whether governments and companies are complying with their emissions targets.

However, artificial intelligence and the wider internet and communications industries are increasingly under fire for using too much energy. Take data processing as an example. The supercomputers used to run cutting-edge artificial intelligence programs are powered by the public grid and backed by backup diesel generators. Training a single AI system can emit more than 250,000 pounds of carbon dioxide.

In fact, the use of AI technology across all sectors produces as much CO2 emissions as the aviation industry. These additional emissions disproportionately affect historically marginalized communities, which tend to live in highly polluted areas and are more vulnerable to the direct impacts of pollution’s health hazards.

Recently, AI scientists and engineers have responded to these criticisms and are considering new sources to power data farms. Yet even new, ostensibly more sustainable energy sources, such as rechargeable batteries, can exacerbate climate change and harm communities. Most rechargeable batteries are made using lithium, a rare earth metal whose extraction can negatively impact marginalized communities. Due to the growing demand for clean energy, lithium extraction requires large amounts of water, consuming 500,000 gallons of water for each ton of lithium extracted.

In Chile, the world’s second-largest lithium producer, indigenous communities such as the Copiapó in the north often clash with mining companies over land and water rights. These mining activities are very water-intensive, with the Energy Institute reporting that in the Salar de Atacama they consume 65 percent of the region’s water. This water loss damages and permanently depletes wetlands and water sources, drives native plant and animal species to the brink of extinction, and impacts local populations. Describing lithium as a “clean” energy source simply because it causes less harm to the environment than diesel or coal is a false dichotomy that discourages stakeholders from pursuing newer, greener energy sources.

The development of artificial intelligence technology is a symbol of incredible progress; however, progress is not one-size-fits-all, and the companies developing these technologies have a responsibility to ensure that marginalized communities do not bear the brunt of the negative impacts of the artificial intelligence revolution.

Some data farms have switched entirely to clean energy. For example, data farms in Iceland run largely on clean energy provided by the island’s hydroelectric and geothermal resources, and the country has become a popular location for new data centers. These data centers also don’t need energy-intensive fans or air conditioners to cool them—Iceland’s cold climate will do just fine. However, Iceland is uniquely suited to host a data processing center and most countries cannot replicate this unique environmental condition.

Big data companies can avoid the pitfalls of lithium batteries by using physical batteries. Made from concrete, these batteries store gravitational potential energy in elevated concrete blocks, which can then be harnessed at any time. It's not a far-fetched idea - two 35-ton concrete blocks are suspended by a 246-foot tower in a Swiss valley. These are early prototypes of what physical batteries will look like, and together they hold enough energy to power two thousand homes (2 megawatts). Physical batteries are a potential alternative to lithium batteries, are less costly to the environment and marginalized communities, and can be made from commonly used materials such as concrete.

The U.S. government, through the Department of Energy and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), has invested billions of dollars in improving lithium batteries, specifically by making solid-state lithium-ion batteries that are much more durable than traditional lithium-ion batteries. Batteries can offer better safety, energy density and longevity. Some private companies have pledged to expand the use of lithium-ion technology in their facilities, including Google, which created a pilot program to phase out diesel generators in some data centers and replace them with lithium-ion batteries. These investments are insufficient, especially as electric carmakers and the U.S. government invest billions in new batteries. Tech companies need to do more to help solve the energy use and storage issues posed by AI.

Artificial intelligence offers many advantages for solving the current climate crisis, but the potential environmental side effects cannot be ignored. Tech companies are often praised for their creativity and ingenuity, the skills they need to apply to solve problems related to artificial intelligence.

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