The generation of new technologies doesn’t come without an environmental impact. But how is AI affecting the environment, and could AI help us to reach our climate goals?

John Tasioulas is Professor of Ethics and Legal Philosophy in the Faculty of Philosophy and Director of the Institute for Ethics in AI.

As with most things to do with AI, Professor Tasioulas highlights that there are two sides to the story when it comes to AI’s impact on the environment.

Training a large language model (LLM), for example, emits as much carbon as multiple cars do over their lifetime – and that’s just training it once.

AI could, however, be used to monitor compliance with climate-related treaties, Professor Tasioulas suggests.

https://ox.ac.uk/ai