AI has quickly become a revolutionary force in many areas of society, business and research, including the effort to fight climate change. However, the data centers that make AI possible require enormous amounts of energy and their growing demand for power is pushing emissions of greenhouse gases higher.
During Climate Week NYC, Newsweek and Kia will present a special live event “AI: Climate Hero or Climate Villain?” You can watch the panel discussion via livestream at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, September 25, by using this link to register.
Our panel of leading experts in AI research, technology and the electric industry will explore how we can reap the climate benefits of AI without having its power demands derail the clean energy transition.
Salesforce Executive Vice President & Chief Impact Officer Suzanne DiBianca will describe her company’s guidelines for sustainable applications of AI.
Join the livestream audience for a timely discussion with AI and sustainability experts.
“I think, 100 percent, AI will be a good guy as it relates to climate,” DiBianca told Newsweek in a profile interview in July. “We’re seeing so much innovation.”
AI tools are already being used in a wide range clean tech and climate science applications, from better alignment of renewable energy to enhanced forecasts of climate-driven impacts such as wildfires and floods.
Microsoft Vice President of Energy Bobby Hollis will explain how the company is working to grow clean energy supplies while making AI data centers more energy efficient.
Despite its ambitious sustainability targets, Microsoft has seen a surge in greenhouse gas emissions related to the data center build-out for AI. In a recent interview with Newsweek, Hollis said the company is not backing away from its climate commitments.
“We’re not letting up on any of our sustainability objectives,” Hollis said.
Duke Energy is one of the utility companies grappling with how to meet the projected growth in electricity demand due partly to the boom in data center construction in Duke’s service area in the Carolinas.
Duke’s managing director of ESG & sustainability, Heather Quinley, will tell us how the company is working with tech companies on innovative ways to finance new clean energy projects.
MIT Assistant Professor Priya Donti will share findings from her research into AI’s growing power consumption. As co-founder of the research group Climate Change AI, Donti is also supporting scientists who are studying AI’s environmental impacts and benefits.
As the director of AI and data strategies at the Bezos Earth Fund, Amen Ra Mashariki is leading a challenge to find the most creative ideas for putting AI to work on the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. The contest offers $100 million for winning ideas to use AI to scale up ground-level solutions on biodiversity conservation, sustainable proteins for agriculture and power grid optimization.
“This grand challenge is the opportunity to see what can happen,” he told Newsweek.
This insightful and provocative discussion comes at a pivotal time in the development of AI. Tech companies and power providers face decisions about our digital infrastructure that could have long lasting implications for energy use and carbon emissions.
We hope you can join us.
