One Thing: Cloud Computing: How AI Could Help Fight Climate Change
Nov 26, 2023
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Rachel Ramirez, CNN Climate Reporter, discusses the role of AI in fighting climate change, including data analysis, predictive capabilities, and adaptation strategies. The podcast also explores AI solutions for farmers and examines the impact of AI on climate change, including energy consumption and access issues.
AI can contribute to fighting climate change by predicting renewable energy availability and understanding climate patterns.
The unregulated nature of AI and its significant energy consumption raise concerns about its potential environmental impact.
Deep dives
The Turmoil at OpenAI
The influential startup OpenAI has recently faced a series of disruptions, including the firing of its CEO and co-founder, Sam Altman, and the subsequent resignation of another co-founder, Greg Brockman. This shakeup caused internal unrest and raised concerns about the company's ability to handle basic HR moves. The episode raises questions about whether a company entrusted with reshaping technology should be trusted if it struggles with internal organization.
The Role of AI in Addressing Climate Change
AI has the potential to contribute to the fight against climate change by offering predictive capabilities and processing large amounts of data quickly. It can help in areas such as understanding climate patterns and predicting renewable energy availability. For example, Google's DeepMind Research Institute uses AI to predict wind energy availability by training AI models on weather forecasts and historical wind turbine data. AI can also assist in mitigating and adapting to the impacts of climate change, such as making forecasts on permafrost melt or evaluating crop viability in light of warming temperatures. However, the unregulated nature of AI and its significant energy consumption raise concerns about its potential environmental impact.
Challenges and Considerations
As AI becomes more prevalent in addressing climate change, there are challenges to address. Regulators may need to mandate renewable energy use in AI data centers and explore location strategies that minimize water usage for cooling. Access and affordability of AI technology must be considered to ensure climate justice and prevent exacerbation of existing inequalities. It is important to have conversations about the responsible use of AI and its accessibility, rather than being distracted by apocalyptic predictions or overlooking immediate concerns regarding how the technology is deployed and who benefits from it.
As the COP28 climate conference kicks off this week, world leaders will gather to discuss potential solutions to the crisis. Experts are increasingly looking at how artificial intelligence can help address certain aspects, despite a lack of regulation around the emerging technology. In this episode, we examine how AI could be used and look at whether the infrastructure needed to run the programs may actually end up harming the environment.