Climate research now looks at the carbon footprint of artificial intelligence

For three decades now, carbon emissions from cars have been a political and social issue; there are reporting obligations for manufacturers, government regulation, and much accompanying research. A similar approach might be taken with a modern product that is spreading at an enormous pace and also has an impact on the climate: "artificial intelligence" (AI), software based on adaptive algorithms for various purposes, from self-driving cars to automatic image recognition and translation tools to optimizing logistics. Here, too, climate research is now beginning to measure the carbon footprint. A framework for this is provided by a new study with contributions from the Berlin-based climate research institute MCC (Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change). The study is published in the journal Nature Climate Change.