🌍💻 AI & Climate: A Collision Course in 2025

Dr. Sasha Luccioni, AI and climate lead at Hugging Face and an adjunct professor at McGill University, argued last month that AI and climate change were not just the two most important disruptors of 2024, but that they are on a collision course in 2025. As AI continues to transform industries, its environmental costs are becoming impossible to ignore. This summer, record-breaking global temperatures coincided with Microsoft and Google missing their climate targets, highlighting the urgent need for action.

Here are key insights from the article:

• AI’s Environmental Cost: Generative AI models use up to 30x more energy than older models, significantly increasing carbon footprints, freshwater usage, and reliance on rare earth metals.

• Data Centers Under Scrutiny: These facilities consume 2% of global electricity (up to 20% in Ireland), often relying on nonrenewable energy sources like coal and natural gas.

• Impact on Local Communities: In areas like Arizona and Taiwan, water-intensive AI operations are causing tensions by diverting precious resources from agriculture and residents during climate-induced droughts.

• Transparency Gap: Tech companies often fail to disclose the carbon cost of generative AI, leaving consumers in the dark about its environmental impact.

• A Path Forward: Initiatives like the proposed AI Energy Star project could drive transparency and regulation, empowering users to choose more sustainable AI solutions. Legislative action in 2025 may finally bring accountability.

You can read the entire article here: https://www.wired.com/story/true-cost-generative-ai-data-centers-energy/