Environmental groups use AI to fight climate change, despite its energy cost

Environmental groups around the world are turning to artificial intelligence to help protect the planet. According to Reuters, they are using it to analyze climate data, track forest fires and count wildlife. The same groups also warn that the data centers that power AI come with an environmental cost.

What changed

Groups that have long campaigned on climate are now using AI as a working tool. Reuters reports the trend is global, with major organizations in many places adopting it. The uses named so far are practical: sorting through large piles of climate data, watching for forest fires and counting animals.

The catch

Data centers are the large buildings full of computers that run AI systems. The groups using AI are the same ones raising concerns about what those buildings do to the environment. That puts them in an awkward spot, using a tool whose footprint they publicly question.

Who it affects

Anyone who donates to or works with a green cause may see AI show up in how that group operates. Supporters may also start asking tougher questions about the tools their groups choose and what those tools cost the environment.

What is not known yet

The material available does not say which groups are involved, which AI tools they use, or how much energy that use takes. It also gives no figures on how well the tools work. Those details would help show whether the benefits outweigh the footprint.