New research from the University of Waterloo and the Georgia Institute of Technology challenges common perceptions regarding the energy consumption of artificial intelligence (AI). The study, published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, reveals that AI's contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions is minimal and could potentially offer benefits for environmental sustainability and economic efficiency
The researchers combined data from the U.S. economy with AI usage statistics across various industries to assess the environmental implications if AI adoption continues at its current pace.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, a staggering 83% of the U.S. economy relies on petroleum, coal and natural gas, all significant contributors to climate change.
However, the study authors found that while the power consumption of AI in the United States is comparable to the energy usage of an entire country like Iceland, its impact remains nearly unnoticeable on both a global and national scale.
"It is important to note that the increase in energy use is not going to be uniform. It's going to be felt more in the places where electricity is produced to power the data centres," Juan Moreno-Cruz, a professor in the Faculty of Environment at Waterloo and Canada Research Chair in Energy Transitions, said in a news release. "If you look at that energy from the local perspective, that's a big deal because some places could see double the amount of electricity output and emissions. But at a larger scale, AI's use of energy won't be noticeable."
While the study did not focus on local economic impacts where data centers are situated, the findings present an optimistic outlook.
"For people who believe that the use of AI will be a major problem for the climate and think we should avoid it, we're offering a different perspective," Moreno-Cruz added. "The effects on climate are not that significant, and we can use AI to develop green technologies or to improve existing ones."
To derive these insights, Moreno-Cruz and Anthony Harding, an environmental economist from Georgia Tech, examined different economic sectors, the nature of jobs within those sectors, and the extent to which AI could perform these tasks. Their work aims to provide a more nuanced understanding of AI's environmental footprint.
Looking ahead, Moreno-Cruz and Harding plan to replicate this study in other countries to evaluate the global impact of AI adoption.