Why Artificial Intelligence danger for world
When the United Nations Environment Assembly convenes in December 2025, one of the key topics of discussion will be the growing environmental impact of artificial intelligence. In anticipation of those discussions, here is a report originally published in September 2024.
There are high hopes that artificial intelligence (AI) can help address some of the world's biggest environmental emergencies. Among other things, this technology is already being used to map destructive sand dredging and monitor emissions of methane , a potent greenhouse gas.
However, when it comes to the environment, there is a downside to the explosion of AI technologies and their associated infrastructure, as demonstrated by the results of various studies. The proliferation of data centers housing AI servers increases the production of electrical and electronic waste. Furthermore, these centers consume large quantities of water, which is increasingly scarce in many of the locations where they are situated. They rely on critical minerals and rare elements, which are often extracted unsustainably. And they use massive amounts of electricity, the generation of which emits more greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming.
“There is still much we don’t know about the environmental impact of AI, but some of the data we do have is worrying,” said Golestan “Sally” Radwan, Director of Digital Transformation at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). “We need to ensure that the net effect of AI on the planet is positive before we deploy the technology on a large scale.”
This week, UNEP published a technical note exploring the environmental footprint of AI and considering how the technology can be implemented sustainably. It follows up on a major UNEP report, Navigating New Horizons , which also examined the promises and dangers of AI. Below, we summarize the findings of these publications in a question-and-answer format.
First of all, what is AI?
AI is a general term for a group of technologies that can process information and, to a very limited extent, mimic human thought. Rudimentary forms of AI have existed since the 1950s. But the technology has evolved at a breakneck pace in recent years, partly due to advances in computing power and the explosion of data, which are crucial for training AI models.
Why are people excited about the potential of AI when it comes to the environment?
The great advantage of AI is that it can detect patterns in data, such as similarities and anomalies, and use this historical knowledge to accurately predict future outcomes. This could make AI invaluable for monitoring the environment and helping governments, businesses, and individuals make more planet-friendly decisions. It can also improve efficiency. UNEP, for example, uses AI to detect when oil and gas facilities are leaking methane , a greenhouse gas that drives climate change.
These advances are fostering hope that AI can help the world address at least some aspects of the triple planetary crisis of climate change , the loss of nature and biodiversity , and pollution and waste .
So why is AI problematic for the environment?
Most large-scale AI deployments are hosted in data centers, including those operated by cloud service providers. These data centers can come at a high cost to the planet. The electronics they house rely on a staggering amount of minerals: manufacturing a 2 kg computer requires 800 kg of raw materials. Furthermore, the microchips that power AI need rare earth elements, which are often mined in environmentally destructive ways, as outlined in the Navigating New Horizons report .
The second problem is that data centers produce electrical and electronic waste, which often contains hazardous substances such as mercury and lead .
Third, data centers use water during construction and, once operational, to cool their electrical components. Globally, AI-related infrastructure could soon consume six times more water than Denmark, a country of 6 million people, according to one estimate . This poses a problem because a quarter of humanity currently lacks access to clean water and sanitation.
Finally, to power their complex electronics, the data centers that house AI technology consume a great deal of energy, which in most places is still generated by burning fossil fuels, emitting greenhouse gases that warm the planet. A question asked in a conversation with ChatGPT, an AI-based virtual assistant, consumes 10 times the electricity of a Google search, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). While global data is scarce, the IEA estimates that, in the case of Ireland's tech hub, the rise of AI could mean that by 2026 data centers will account for almost 35% of the nation's energy use.
Driven in part by the explosion of AI, the number of data centers has increased from 500,000 in 2012 to 8 million today, and experts expect global demand for this technology to continue growing.
Some have said that when it comes to the environment, AI is a wild card. Why?
We have a solid understanding of the potential environmental impacts of data centers. However, it's impossible to predict how AI-based applications will affect the planet. Some experts are concerned that they could have unintended consequences. For example, the development of AI-powered autonomous cars could lead more people to drive instead of cycling or using public transport, increasing greenhouse gas emissions. Then there are what experts call higher-order effects. AI, for instance, could be used to generate misinformation about climate change, downplaying this threat in the public eye.
Is anything being done about the environmental impacts of AI?
More than 190 countries have adopted a series of non-binding recommendations on the ethical use of AI, including environmental considerations. In addition, both the European Union and the United States have introduced legislation to mitigate the environmental impact of AI. But such policies are few and far between, said Golestan Radwan.
“Governments are rushing to develop national AI strategies, but they rarely take the environment and sustainability into account. The lack of environmental barriers is no less dangerous than the lack of other AI-related safeguards,” he added.
Artificial Intelligence: The 5 Most Dangerous Drifts for Humanity
Disinformation, creation of pornographic deepfakes , manipulation of democratic processes... As artificial intelligence (AI) progresses, the potential risks associated with this technology have continued to grow.
Experts from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) FutureTech group recently compiled a new database of more than 700 potential AI risks, categorized by origin and divided into seven distinct areas, with the main concerns related to security, bias and discrimination, and privacy.
1. Manipulation of public opinion
AI-powered voice cloning and misleading content generation are becoming increasingly accessible, personalized and convincing.
According to MIT experts, "these communication tools (for example, the duplication of a relative) are increasingly sophisticated and therefore difficult to detect by users and anti-phishing tools .
hishing tools using AI-generated images, videos and audio communications could thus be used to spread propaganda or disinformation, or to influence political processes, as was the case in the recent French legislative elections, where AI was used by far-right parties to support their political messages.
2. Emotional dependence
Scientists also worry that using human-like language could lead users to attribute human qualities to AI, which could lead to emotional dependence and increased trust in its abilities. This would make them more vulnerable to the technology's weaknesses, in "complex and risky situations for which AI is only superficially equipped . "
Furthermore, constant interaction with AI systems could lead to progressive relational isolation and psychological distress.
On the blog Less Wrong, one user claims to have developed a deep emotional attachment to the AI, even admitting that he "enjoys talking to it more than 99% of people" and finds its responses consistently engaging, to the point of becoming addicted to it.
3. Loss of free will
Delegating decisions and actions to AI could lead to a loss of critical thinking and problem-solving skills in humans.
On a personal level, humans could see their free will compromised if AI were to control decisions about their lives.
The widespread adoption of AI to perform human tasks could lead to widespread job losses and a growing sense of helplessness in society.
4. AI takeover of humans
According to MIT experts, AI would be able to find unexpected shortcuts that lead it to misapply the objectives set by humans, or to set new ones. In addition, AI could use manipulation techniques to deceive humans.
An AI could thus resist human attempts to control or stop it.
This situation would become particularly dangerous if this technology were to reach or surpass human intelligence.
"An AI could use information related to the fact that it is being monitored or evaluated, maintaining the appearance of alignment, while hiding objectives that it would pursue once deployed or endowed with sufficient power ," the experts specify.
5. Mistreatment of AI systems, a challenge for scientists
As AI systems become more complex and advanced, it is possible that they will achieve sentience – the ability to perceive or feel emotions or sensations – and develop subjective experiences, including pleasure and pain.
Without adequate rights and protections, sensitive AI systems are at risk of mistreatment, either accidentally or intentionally.
Scientists and regulators may thus be faced with the challenge of determining whether these AI systems deserve moral considerations close to those accorded to humans, animals and the environment.
