'Some places carry the costs and other places capture the benefits': UN warns that AI is stripping natural resources in exchange for making the rich richer

Data centre.

• UN warns AI's environmental footprint is much, much more than just energy
• AI data centers could consume the water equivalent of 1.3b people by 2030
• Report calls for more diverse reporting and robust governance to protect people

A new UN report is arguing artificial intelligence's impacts are far from parity – instead, that its environmental impact is being underestimated because most discussions only focus on carbon emissions.