Join Nick Couldry, a leading scholar in media studies, and Eugenie Dugoua, an expert in environmental economics, as they tackle the perplexing consequences of AI on our planet. They delve into the staggering energy and water consumption of data centers, questioning whether the benefits of AI can outweigh its environmental costs. Discover how AI is paradoxically used for good, like protecting biodiversity in the Serengeti, while grappling with the urgent need for sustainable tech solutions. Their insights reveal a critical balance between innovation and ecological responsibility.
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How Data Centres Work
Data centres operate like a 'sandwich' with layers for power, data halls, and cooling.
These facilities handle everything from internet connections to complex AI workloads, requiring massive cooling and security measures.
insights INSIGHT
AI's Environmental Cost
AI queries consume significantly more electricity and water than simple Google searches.
Large data centres may use millions of liters of fresh water daily, stressing local supplies like those in West London.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Irish Activist Protests Data Centres
Ceara Carney dressed as the Irish goddess Eiru to protest data centres draining Ireland's energy and resources.
Ireland's data centres use one-fifth of national energy and exploit tax breaks and climate to attract tech giants.
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Contributor(s): Professor Nick Couldry, Dr Eugenie Dugoua, Ceara Carney | Artificial intelligence is transforming the world around us, offering increased productivity and promising to help tackle difficult problems like global warming.
But behind the scenes, its environmental costs are mounting. From massive energy use to vast quantities of water required to cool data centres, AI’s footprint is growing fast. So, in an age of water scarcity and climate crisis, can we justify this technological boom?
In this episode of LSE iQ, Anna Bevan asks: Is AI destroying the planet?
She travels to a data centre in Slough to find out exactly how data centres work, and speaks to Nick Couldry, Professor of Media, Communications and Social Theory at LSE; Eugenie Dugoua, Assistant Professor in Environmental Economics at LSE; and Ceara Carney, an actor and climate activist.
This episode explores the AI sustainability paradox: can AI be both a climate solution and a climate problem? And discusses surprising ways AI is being used for good, such as catching poachers in the Serengeti.
Research
Data Grab: The New Colonialism of Big Tech and How to Fight it, Nick Couldry and Ulises Mejias
The Space of the World: can Human Solidarity Survive Social Media and What if it Can't? Nick Couldry
Induced innovation, inventors and the energy transition, Eugenie Dugoua and Todd D. Gerarden
Directed technological change and general purpose technologies: can AI accelerate clean energy innovation? Pia Andres, Eugenie Dugoua and Marion Dumas
Could artificial intelligence deliver a green transition? Marion Dumas
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