U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres called on companies that are developing artificial intelligence to disclose their environmental impacts and to use renewable energy for all data centers by 2030.
“If AI is to help build a better future, it must be honest about what it costs us now,” Guterres said Tuesday at a Bloomberg Philanthropies event during London Climate Action Week.
He also urged governments to take stronger regulatory action to curb methane, a potent climate pollutant; tax windfall oil and gas profits; and invest in grid expansion and regulatory reform. It was one of Guterres’ last major climate addresses before his term expires at the end of this year.
The voluntary AI initiative seeks transparency from companies about the amount of land, water and energy they use in their operations and to ensure that the AI boom doesn’t undermine the clean energy transition. It was announced without asking the industry for input, according to one U.N. official.
