Generative AI - Climate Crisis Savior or Sinner?

Generative AI tools like ChatGPT have enormous potential to help fight climate change through better energy demand forecasting, renewable energy system design, and carbon capture solutions. However, they also come with a heavy carbon footprint themselves due to the vast compute resources required to train and run them.

Summary

Generative AI tools like ChatGPT are extremely energy-intensive to train and use, producing carbon emissions equivalent to thousands of households daily.
However, these tools also have significant potential to aid in tackling climate change via applications like better energy demand forecasting, renewable energy system design, and carbon capture system design.
There is a need for AI companies to commit to sustainable practices and invest in reducing their carbon footprints.
Balancing out the climate costs and climate benefits of generative AI will be key in determining its ultimate impact.
Overall the climate crisis is one of humanity's greatest challenges, and generative AI one of its most powerful technologies, so finding solutions at their intersection could prove highly impactful.