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Big Tech’s quest for artificial intelligence advancement is driving up water consumption at alarming rates, reports Sam Meredith at CNBC. In an interview at COP28, SEI’s Somya Joshi speaks to CNBC’s reporter about the balance between innovation, artificial intelligence, and sustainable resource management.
AI in companies. Photo: Westend61 / Getty Images.
Big Tech has long had a water problem – but a global artificial intelligence boom is threatening to make matters worse.
United States tech giants – some of which have already warned that a business-as-usual approach will not be able to protect freshwater resources for future generations – have recently reported a huge spike in water consumption.
One of the main culprits of this alarming trend is the insatiable demand for the next wave of AI.
With AI, we’re seeing the classic problem with technology in that you have efficiency gains but then you have rebound effects with more energy and more resources being used.
Somya Joshi, Head of Division, Global Agendas, Climate and Systems at SEI.
Watch the video interview from COP28 with SEI’s Division Head Somya Joshi who also performs research in the
Mistra Geopolitics research programme.
Project / This project aims to critically examine how the dynamics of geopolitics, human security and global environmental change interrelate.
SEI report / The authors assessed and evaluated how the first GBP 1 million of Scottish government funding was disseminated and used, with implications for L&D finance.
Other publication / This report offers recommendations on how to operationalize a new global loss and damage fund.
SEI brief / This brief summarizes recommendations about how the new Loss & Damage Fund can best help vulnerable countries respond to and recover from climate impacts.
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