The climate case for AI has not been made

This week, as countries meet in Antalya, Turkey for the United Nations climate conference, one topic likely to dominate the conversation is artificial intelligence. The host has already called on countries to commit to ensuring that AI is designed, powered, and deployed in ways that support climate action.

But so far, industries around the world aren’t doing nearly enough to harness the technology to actually drive down the greenhouse-gas emissions heating up the planet, despite some very optimistic claims from AI companies.

In 2024, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman declared that AI would unleash “astounding triumphs,” including “fixing the climate.” The year before, in a 2023 op-ed, the head of sustainability at Google and her coauthor wrote that AI could reduce global emissions 5% to 10% by 2030.

Some academic researchers have examined these AI-related climate claims. A peer-reviewed study published last year, led by researchers at the London School of Economics’ Grantham Research Institute and the firm Systemiq, estimated that …