OIES Podcast – AI’s Indirect Impacts On Climate Outweigh Concerns Over Its Direct Energy Footprint
Description
In this latest OIES podcast from the Electricity Programme, Dimitra Apostolopoulou engages in a discussion with Charlie Wilson, Professor of Energy and Climate Change at the Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford, and Dr. Yee Van Fan, Senior Research Associate at the same institute about their latest paper titled “AI’s Indirect Impacts On Climate Outweigh Concerns Over Its Direct Energy Footprint” which was part of the recent Oxford Energy Forum on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Its Implications For Electricity Systems. Charlie opens the discussion by presenting a taxonomy of AI’s impacts on energy systems, categorising them into direct, indirect, and systemic effects. We then elaborate on the direct impacts of AI on electricity systems, highlighting potential localised challenges that may emerge. The focus then shifts to the indirect impacts of AI, i.e., the energy consumed or saved by using AI in various domains, where Yee Van talks about the challenges of quantifying them. The podcast concludes with a reflection on the further research and strategic actions needed to enhance understanding and governance of AI’s indirect contributions to the energy transition.
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