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Myths, techno solutionism and artificial intelligence: reclaiming AI materiality and its massive environmental costs
Abstract
Cop 27 has warned once again that we are on a trajectory for a climate catastrophe. If we want to meet the Paris Agreement target of keeping global warming below the 1.5°C threshold, we will need to cut emissions globally by 50% in the next decade (IPCC, 2022). Through contemporary mythologies, artificial intelligence has been heralded as the key technology to solve humanity’s challenges, including the environmental crisis. But how green is AI? Embracing an understanding of AI from a political economy of communication perspectives (Brevini 2020 and 2021), this chapter establishes a research trajectory that places emphasis on the materiality of AI, thus unveiling (and dispelling) powerful hypes and mythologies of AI. It thus explores the multifaceted ways in which AI is impacting the climate emergency and concludes by offering a set of solutions to limit the direct challenges that AI poses to our planet.
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Data centres require continuous, large-scale water supplies for cooling purposes, further exacerbating AI's environmental impact.
“These infrastructures require continuous, large-scale water supplies for cooling purposes, further exacerbating AI's environmental impact (Brevini, 2023).”
From Higher Education's Generative Artificial Intelligence Paradox: The Meaning of Chatbot Mania (2024) · cites this paper as Brevini, 2023
The training of AI models incurs high environmental costs, a consequence of substantial energy consumption and emissions generated by converged communication systems integral to AI functionalities.
“The training of AI models incurs high environmental costs, a consequence of the substantial energy consumption and emissions generated by converged communication systems integral to AI functionalities (Brevini, 2023).”
From Higher Education's Generative Artificial Intelligence Paradox: The Meaning of Chatbot Mania (2024) · cites this paper as Brevini, 2023
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Cited by 9
Metadata
- Authors
- Brevini, B.
- Corresponding author
- Brevini, Benedetta
- ORCID
- Brevini, Benedetta
- Venue
- Handbook of Critical Studies of Artificial Intelligence
- Publisher
- Edward Elgar Publishing
- Published
- 2023-11-14
- Pages
- 869-877
- OpenAlex
- W4388835165
- Cited by
- 9
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 2
- FWCI
- 7.85
- Type
- book chapter
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks (publishedVersion)
- London School of Economics and Political Science Research Online (London School of Economics and Political Science) (acceptedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Electrical and Electronic Engineering › Green IT and Sustainability
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Artificial Intelligence › Ethics and Social Impacts of AI
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law › Innovation, Sustainability, Human-Machine Systems
- Keywords
- artificial intelligence, green AI, environmental costs of AI, techno-solutionism, climate crisis, climate change mitigation, political economy of communication, emission reduction, COP27, Paris Agreement
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