Artificial Intelligence and Climate Chan

Pre-reqs: CEEN IA7200: Fundamentals of Environmental Economics and Policy, or CEEN IA7300: Energy Systems Fundamentals, or SUMA PS5155: Energy Markets and Innovation. Instructor permission is also required for registration. Join the waitlist in Vergil to request registration.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a hot topic. More than 800 million people now use ChatGPT each week, trillions of dollars are being invested in data centers globally, and policymakers around the world are considering how best to respond to the growth in AI.

Meanwhile countries around the world are struggling to respond to climate change. Based on global average temperatures, July 22, 2024 was the warmest day ever recorded; 2024 was the warmest year ever recorded; and the 10 warmest years on record are the past 10 years. Yet despite encouraging developments, including the dramatic drop in the price of renewable energy in the past decade, global emissions of greenhouse gases continue to climb.

Can AI help reduce emissions of greenhouse gases? Will increased power demand for AI lead to greenhouse gas emission increases, outweighing any benefits? Can AI help with adaptation to climate change? Should policymakers encourage the use of AI to help fight climate change and discourage AI applications that may increase greenhouse gas emissions? If so, how?

This course will cover these questions. The course is an advanced seminar. After an initial class session covering core AI concepts, we will explore different ways AI could help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change, as well as ways in which AI could lead to greenhouse gas emissions increases. We will explore barriers to the use of AI to respond to climate change, risks of using AI for that purpose, policy options for addressing these risks and barriers, and ways in which different stakeholders can work together in using AI tools to fight climate change.