The climate case for AI has not been made

This week in MIT Technology Review, Mary Nichols and I lay out a new perspective on why the climate case for AI rests on such shaky ground.

Our argument is based on data, not speculation: despite big tech’s AI climate boosterism, we found limited evidence of the specific types of AI integration needed in the power, food, and vehicle sectors to measurably reduce emissions.

Read more here.

That said, the research did reveal a few cases where new AI products & platforms are making positive impact (Open Climate Fix, NotCo, & CATL, to name a few). Market opportunities exist here, and industry leaders need to do more to accelerate progress.

Backcasting 2035 AI-Induced Emission Reduction Projections – with Claude Code (link here)

Can AI be applied for sustainability? It’s complicated (link here)

AI Everywhere: Tangible Applications for Sustainability Teams (link here)

The AI Elephant in the Room (link here)

AI x Sustainability in Trump 2.0 (link here)

Remarks to the National Sustainability Society (link here)

AI in Building & Construction: Tangible Applications for Sustainability Teams (link here)

How to Work with Satellite-Based Sustainability Data (link here)