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AI has taken the world by storm, with digitized voices for music fans to hear artists to cover songs they’ve never sung for real, create non-existent complex and life-life images, ask questions, and even help manage a company’s climate journey – but what does the potential AI environmental impact mean for our future?
AI refers to the process of computer and technology mimicking human processes – such as a singing voice to be used to cover a song or to curate a never-been-taken picture.
In this article, we'll discuss how AI can help with sustainability, how AI negatively impacts the environment, and ways to improve AI to ensure the benefits outweigh the consequences.
Artificial Intelligence, more commonly referred to as AI, is the practice of simulating human intelligence via technological systems – usually computers.
AI is used amongst many businesses to help with data input, information processing, and more – all of which is done through a process of learning and reasoning via machine learning and robotics.
💡The main goal of AI is to help reduce the need for humans to complete tasks that can ultimately be done by AI – which could include efforts such as spellcheck, taking inventory, or other once manual efforts that can now be done with the help of technology.
However, it’s important to note that AI is often used for lighthearted activities as well – such as to have an opponent while playing a virtual board game or to draft a monologue with the voice of a celebrity.
There are two main types of AI:
AI has become the talk of the town as automation becomes a part of our daily lives: from automatic cars, self-serving restaurants without waiters in Japan, to AI music covers on TikTok – and it’s probable that AI will only continue to grow from here.
👉 Artificial Intelligence is meant to help individuals and businesses alike improve upon their existing efforts – such as by providing assistance to ensure precision or detecting potential fraudulent activity, both of which are two things the human brain may struggle to remain aware of on its own.
There are several ways AI can help to improve sustainable efforts, protect the planet, and tackle climate change as a whole – such as by monitoring weather, new patterns of pollution, and managing current agricultural systems to adhere to existing climate obstacles.
AI is often viewed as a trivial toy for people to use, such as via Chat GPT, when they’re bored – but in reality, AI can help businesses all around the world in their climate journey and make the overall process of transitioning to greater sustainability less overwhelming.
Here just a few of the ways the potential AI environmental impact could make Artificial Intelligence indispensable in the midst of our worldwide efforts to combat climate change:
👉 Even though many people may think of AI as a trivial online tool, businesses and individuals alike can utilize AI to help support them in their climate journeys – and even exceed their existing goals with the ability to allocate other roles, resources, and responsibilities onto humans or AI where most appropriate.
Despite the indispensable benefits of AI in the midst of climate change, the potential AI environmental impact can also prove to be a negative one – such as with AI contributing to excessive electronic waste.
AI has proven to be useful to take over mundane or tedious human tasks, such as checking grammar or helping to monitor a company’s supply chain – but there are several consequences to the use of AI as well.
Here are some of the ways AI could prove harmful to the planet:
👉AI can have a negative impact on the environment in addition to providing valuable in a company’s climate journey, therefore – it’s best to utilize AI under specific circumstances.
AI can be equally beneficial and harmful to the planet, meaning either changes will need to be made to AI in order to mitigate the potential environmental impact on behalf or AI – or individuals and companies alike will have to manage their expectations and use AI more sparingly or only under specific scenarios.
Think of AI in the same way as eating foods with scientific benefits that also taste good in moderation, such as dark chocolate – it’s good to make use of the nutritional value of dark chocolate, but not to eat it with every meal. The same goes for AI: when put into motion under the right conditions, AI can prove extremely valuable for a company – but situations which require more emotional judgment may benefit from refraining from AI.
Here are some ways we could reduce the consequences of a negative AI environmental impact:
Overall, AI doesn’t have to create a negative environmental impact – but we can greatly reduce the chances of this happening by working to make AI more energy efficient and remaining cognizant of when AI is most suitable to be used. If we move forward with this ideal in mind, the potential benefits to be reaped from AI’s environmental impact could help us address the global challenge of climate change.
If reading this article about the environmental impact of AI has made you interested in reducing your carbon emissions to further fight against climate change – Greenly can help you!
It can be challenging to decide how to best implement AI into your business model, but don’t worry – Greenly is here to help. Click here to schedule a demo to see how Greenly can help you find ways to effectively implement and utilize a better climate strategy.
Greenly can help you make an environmental change for the better, starting with a carbon footprint assessment to know how much carbon emissions your company produces.
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