Environmental groups turn to AI despite climate concerns, say benefits outweigh costs

Detailed summary

Conservation organisations use AI to monitor wildlife and track fires, but also warning that data centres are driving up energy use and water consumption.

Environmental groups worldwide are using artificial intelligence to analyse climate data, track forest fires and monitor endangered wildlife, despite concerns that the technology is increasing electricity demand, water consumption and greenhouse-gas emissions.

The contradiction is forcing organisations to weigh AI's potential benefits against its environmental costs.

“We recognise that AI can come with environmental costs, and we need to be thoughtful about how we use it,” said Ali Swanson, AI lead at US nonprofit Conservation International. But she said the technology could help address increasingly urgent climate and biodiversity crises.

The group recently began using AI to assess satellite-detected hotspots and send real-time alerts to forest patrols about potential wildfires in remote areas of Cambodia.

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