'If AI is to help build a better future, it must be honest about what it costs us now': UN urges AI giants to reveal full extent of environmental damage

UN asks AI companies to declare the environmental cost of AI
New energy projects and data centers are contributing to pollution.
The UN establishes the AI Environmental Transparency Initiative to provide information on the impacts of water use, carbon emissions and land use.

Multiple studies on the direct and indirect impact of AI have predicted that the technology is harming the local and global environment and contributing to human-caused climate change.

But AI companies themselves should publicly disclose the full extent of the damage, the United Nations has said.

Speaking during London Climate Action Week, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said: “If AI wants to help build a better future, it must be honest about what it costs us now.”

Reveal the full environmental cost of AI

“By 2030, they could use more energy than all but five countries, and enough water to meet the basic needs of sub-Saharan Africa’s 1.3 billion residents for an entire year,” he said.

His speech (via PakGazette) also included the launch of the UN AI Environmental Transparency Initiative, which offers AI companies the opportunity to publicly disclose water, environmental impacts of their water use, carbon emissions and land use.

Some AI companies have made commitments to net-zero emissions and decarbonization through renewable energy projects, but these commitments are largely voluntary and do not expose companies to any repercussions if they do not meet targets.

This has been exacerbated in the United States, where many of the largest AI companies operate, when President Trump eliminated environmental commitments, obstructed planned renewable energy projects, eliminated legislation on building fossil fuel energy production, and even eliminated the US government’s comprehensive climate resource file.

With AI currently accounting for 80% to 90% of the world’s computing resources, there has been an explosion of new data center construction projects to meet demand. Many sites have turned to natural gas turbines to supply energy, which has been linked to health problems and neurological symptoms in local populations. In other regions, data centers have been connected to nearby power grids, causing local residents’ bills to skyrocket.

The full environmental cost of AI is unknown, but estimates for the US have put the total cost at around $25 billion per year, which includes the health costs of residents living in contaminated proximity to data centers. The UN hopes that the AI Environmental Transparency initiative will provide direct information on the fiscal, human and environmental costs of AI.

Google logo on black background next to text that says