A coalition of environmental, technology, and anti-hate speech groups have recently issued a demand to Senator Chuck Schumer for an AI policy dedicated to combating climate change. This coalition is calling for companies to disclose the environmental impact of their AI models, as well as pushing for legislation against the spread of climate change misinformation.
Among the organizations supporting this call to action are Amazon Employees for Climate Justice, Greenpeace USA, and the Union of Concerned Scientists, all of which have signed the letter addressed to Senator Schumer. Their primary concerns revolve around the energy consumption of large language models like ChatGPT, and the potential for these models to disseminate climate disinformation.
The coalition is insisting on corporate accountability for any environmental damage caused by AI models. They are demanding transparency in content creation and accuracy measurement, emphasizing the need for companies to be forthright about their AI models’ energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions throughout their life cycle.
In addition, the groups are urging companies to include in their reports the environmental impact of users’ search queries and the AI models’ training processes. Also to be considered are the types of metals and minerals used in AI, as these can have significant environmental implications.
The potential for AI tools to spread disinformation is a growing concern among these groups. A recent study indicated that people placed more trust in AI-generated tweets than in human-written scientific content. This highlights the importance of the coalition’s call for corporate accountability and transparency in AI models, as well as the need for legislation against climate change misinformation.
The coalition’s demands present an important challenge to the AI industry, reminding us all of the potential environmental impacts of technology and the urgency of fighting against climate change. It is hoped that their call for transparency and accountability will resonate with tech companies, leading to more sustainable and responsible practices in AI development.
