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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Technology
Ajit Niranjan

AI’s potential climate benefits outweighed by role in boosting fossil fuels, study finds

A North Sea oil rig at dusk
Estimates suggest AI will create close to £370bn in cumulative value for fossil fuel companies between 2026 and 2030. Photograph: Alamy

AI-driven productivity gains enable more planet-heating pollution from fossil fuels than they avoid from renewables, a study has found.

Researchers modelled the technical potential for AI to boost clean power generation along with projections for how it can help produce coal, oil and gas. Across 64 scenarios, they found net yearly carbon pollution rose by 0.47-1.8 gigatonnes, or about 1-5% of the energy sector’s annual emissions.

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