An opinion piece in MIT Technology Review argues that the climate case for AI has not yet been made. The authors are Mary Nichols, distinguished counsel at the UCLA School of Law and former chair of the California Air Resources Board, and Jeremy Tamanini, founder of Dual Citizen, a sustainability research and advisory firm.
The article links the debate to the UN climate conference in Antalya, Turkey, where the host has asked countries to commit to designing, powering, and deploying AI in ways that support climate action.
The authors cite earlier optimistic claims. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in 2024 that AI would bring "astounding triumphs," including "fixing the climate." A 2023 op-ed by Google's head of sustainability and a coauthor said AI could reduce global emissions 5% to 10% by 2030.
A peer-reviewed study led by researchers at the London School of Economics' Grantham Research Institute and the firm Systemiq estimated that AI could cut global emissions by 3.2 to 5.4 billion tons of carbon dioxide annually by 2035, after subtracting AI's own energy use. The gains are concentrated in power, meat and dairy, and vehic