Orgs demands action to mitigate environmental damage to AI
A group of over 100 organizations has published an open letter about the AI industry and regulators to mitigate the harmful environmental impact of the technology, just in leading industry CEOs, state CEOs, heads of state, academia and nonprofits A few days ago, Paris attended a large AI conference.
The letter, signed by a well-known advocacy group including Amnesty International and the AI current institute, pointed out that “increasing evidence” shows that AI systems drive emissions, “locking” the dependence on non-renewable energy and consumption Do your key resources. The letter said that as the technology sector and government proved that further investment in AI makes sense, little is taken to address these negative externalities.
“If AI is running on fossil fuels, it will never be a 'climate solution',” the letter reads. “Our signatories demand that AI systems be compatible with our planetary boundaries.”
The signatories made clear requests that, among other things, AI infrastructure, including data centers, do not contain fossil fuels. The letter notes that the rush to build infrastructure to develop and operate AI is to tighten the grid to breaking points, forcing some utilities to rely on coal and other environmentally unfriendly sources of power.
“By 2026, global data center power consumption may double to more than 1,000, equivalent to Japan’s annual electricity consumption,” the letter said. “Around the world, this rising demand is bringing power to power. The infrastructure pushes towards its restrictions, extending and strengthening our reliance on fossil fuels, which is related to public health issues.”
The letter also urges governments and tech companies to ensure that new data centers do not drain water and land resources and remain transparent about the environmental impact of AI throughout the “whole AI life cycle.”
Most data centers that may span millions of square feet, not only do they need a lot of water to cool the chips, but also maintain safe humidity levels of computing devices. According to an estimate, if one in 10 U.S. residents require Openai’s AI-powered chatbot Chatgpt to write emails every week, it will cost more than 435 million liters of water.
The letter’s signatories asserted that their requirements “represent the minimum minimum required to mitigate the harm caused by unchecked AI expansion.”
“Countries and communities that are most vulnerable to rapid climate change are first affected by the harms of AI and its computing needs and have less say in their development,” the letter reads. “We must go beyond exploring technological advancement to see For inherent benefit or infinite, AI processes that prioritize meaningful contributions to society while minimizing environmental and human harm.”
Unfortunately, for the signers where most major AI companies are located, the U.S. intends to accept growth at any cost.
President Donald Trump said he would use the energy emergency statement to quickly approve new power stations for AI data centers, including those that use coal to back up power. Trump also promised to provide rapid environmental approvals and other licensing for any company that invests $1 billion or domestically.