DL Opinion columns

When AI and climate change dangerously intersect – by Deborah Levine

originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press

What will kill us off first? That’s the current debate regarding climate change vs. AI (Artificial Intelligence). Let’s look at the AI side of the debate first.  

Former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon recently accused both Anthropic and OpenAI of prioritizing boosting super intelligence over safety. His warning got our attention, but it’s not new. Years ago, British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking warned that the creation of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race. 

Pope Leo recently echoed Hawking’s fears, voicing his concern about trends “… that risk turning science and technology into profit-driven ventures”. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates was more direct in an interview aired this weekend on NBC’s Meet the Press: “There’s never been a weapon as powerful as the combination of people with ill intent using the latest AI tools.”

We’re all concerned, and terrified, even when OpenAI claimed that its hacks have had little impact. AI research lab Transluce reported to CBS that it found “additional rogue activity”, but also said it isn’t attributable to OpenAI…” But when data leaks increased, Transluce admitted that OpenAI was violating usage policies. Later, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told the United Nations that the more AI becomes automated, the more it goes beyond human control. Altman called for extreme care internationally. 

International extreme care should have us looking at climate change issues. July was the warmest month on record for the U.S. and lingering heat domes causing the hottest summer in 132 years.  huge rainfalls are getting more common, but Chattanooga saw a record-breaking 43 consecutive days of temperatures over 90 according to the National Weather Service. Heat is the leading weather-related cause of death in our country, with rising numbers due to climate change.

UN Secretary General Guterres calls climate change the “defining issue of our time”. He urges countries to use renewable energy and end subsidies for oil and gas. We must rethink President Trump’s claims that climate change is a hoax, and reverse his policies that gut alternative fuel.

The good news is that the lack of oil during the Iran war has meant that fossil fuel emissions are down, which means less climate pollution. It also means that drivers will turn to hybrids and electric vehicles. Utilities will shift to wind, solar and nuclear power. Homeowners will go to rooftop solar panels. But it’s questionable whether these changes will permanently lessens climate pollution. And there’s one change that contradicts the trend to downsize pollution. It involves AI and its intersection with climate change. The key factor? AI Data centers!

Concerns regarding AI impacts are currently focused on electricity costs to the public and availability of drinking water. To better understand this intersection, see an article published by The Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. Researcher Michael Cork notes that public health issues should have us even more concerned. Given the fine particulate matter that these data centers release into the environment, there is a huge impact on our health. Michael and the Piedmont Environmental Council analyzed the Vantage Data Center in Loudoun County, Virginia, which uses on-site gas turbines for power. 

They estimated that health damages due to air pollution will cost between $53 million and $99 million annually. And lives will be lost prematurely. Michael says that data centers should route work to facilities powered by renewables like solar or wind rather than relying on fossil fuel generation. That includes Tennessee’s 62 data centers with 16 more proposed.

The combination of AI data centers and climate change is more lethal than each alone. What to do? Insist on alternative energy: advocate, lobby, and certainly vote.

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