AI a huge opportunity and serious risk for climate: UNEP official

NEW DELHI: (Feb 28) Artificial Intelligence (AI) offers significant potential to help the climate crisis, but its high energy and water requirements could worsen environmental challenges if not managed properly, a senior official of the United Nations (UN) said.

In an interview with PTI Videos, Martin Krause, Director of the Climate Change Division at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), said from a climate perspective, AI presents both a huge opportunity and a serious risk.

Citing examples of AI as part of the climate solution, the official highlighted AI-driven early weather warning systems, renewable grid integration, and satellite-based alert systems to track emission sources promptly, while also voicing concerns over the significant water and energy demands of the data centres.