Climate Change

Commitments by large AI companies to limit emissions of greenhouse gases are at risk as those companies pursue a massive build-out of data centers, many of which will be powered by fossil fuels in the near term and possibly beyond.

Meta and OpenAI are among the tech companies that are building private power plants that will operate independently of regional grids to supply electricity for their massive buildout of AI data centers.

Researchers built a model that integrates satellite imagery and other sensor readings across the entire surface of the Earth to reveal patterns of climate, land use, and other features.

In the era of reasoning models, delivering better answers to questions has an environmental cost. A new study quantifies the impact.

The U.S. government is using AI to predict the paths of hurricanes.

AI’s thirst for energy is growing, but the technology also could help produce huge energy savings over the next five to 10 years, according to a recent report.

The globe’s growing AI infrastructure requires huge amounts of electricity, possibly more than power providers can generate responsibly. Could AI models suck energy resources dry?

Major AI companies plan to meet the growing demand with nuclear energy.

The AI boom is taxing power grids and pushing builders of data centers to rethink their sources of electricity.

How can AI help to fight climate change? A new report evaluates progress so far and explores options for the future. The Innovation for Cool Earth Forum, a conference of climate researchers hosted by Japan...

Stanford’s sixth annual AI Index takes stock of a rapidly growing field. The sprawling, 386-page report from the Institute for Human-Centered AI presents the past year’s developments in AI based on a wide variety of sources including benchmarks, papers, market research, job listings, and polls.

Adults in the United States tend to view AI’s medical applications favorably but are leery of text and image generation. Pew Research Center polled 11,004 U.S. adults for their opinions of AI in science, healthcare, and media.

You can reduce your model’s carbon emissions by being choosy about when and where you train it.

An autonomous research ship crossed the Atlantic Ocean — with a few pit stops to address challenges along the way. Built by IBM and marine research nonprofit ProMare, the Mayflower Autonomous Ship 400 (MAS400) last week completed a voyage from Plymouth, England, to Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Computer vision systems are scanning satellite photos to track construction on the Earth’s surface — an exercise in behavior recognition on a global scale.