We will certainly remember 2022 for the breakthroughs in artificial intelligence (AI) it brought. We should be both fascinated and worried about the implications of such progress, particularly when it comes to its potential impact on climate change.
On one hand, AI could help accelerate economic growth, making it easier to achieve the structural and societal changes needed for deep decarbonisation. Also, research has suggested that lately, innovation has been slowing down, but AI advances could reverse this trend. Innovation is necessary for dealing with climate change, not only in science and technology but also in policy, economics, marketing, and communication.
On the other hand, AI tools could cause changes in the labor market, increase income inequality, create concentrations of power and wealth, thus making global cooperation for climate progress harder to achieve. Also, in the wrong hands, AI tools can be used to spread disinformation.
Source: Energy Institute at Haas