AI is a double-edged sword for climate change

Bloomberg ) -- Tech companies have touted artificial intelligence as a powerful tool to tackle climate change, but first they may have to stop AI from making the problem worse. "It's absolutely true that AI is an energy-intensive technology," said Sims Witherspoon, head of climate change at Google DeepMind. "Until we have a grid that is completely clean energy driven, these technologies will have a carbon footprint." Witherspoon said this during an interview for the latest episode of the Bloomberg Originals series AI IRL, which is now available to stream.  According to the International Energy Agency, data centers worldwide currently account for approximately 1 to 1.5 % of global electricity consumption. But AI requires more energy than other forms of computing. As companies like Microsoft Corp., OpenAI Inc. and Alphabet Inc., which is Google's parent company, are racing to develop increasingly sophisticated AI systems, energy demands will only grow. One peer-reviewed study published in October estimated that the artificial intelligence industry could use as much electricity as a country the size of the Netherlands by 2027. (Jackie Davalos and Nate Lanxon , Bloomberg News)