AI for Climate Change Mitigation

This Columbia Energy Exchange podcast interviews David Sandalow and Alp Kucukelbir about their report on artificial intelligence (AI) and climate change mitigation. The discussion covers AI's potential to improve energy efficiency and emissions monitoring (e.g., using AI to analyze satellite data for methane leaks), as well as its risks, such as increased electricity demand and potential biases in AI models. Sandalow and Kucukelbir highlight AI's transformational potential in materials science and its more incremental benefits in optimizing energy grids and manufacturing processes. The podcast concludes by emphasizing the need for policy interventions to guide AI development and deployment for climate benefits, addressing issues like data access and bias. A key takeaway is the importance of balancing AI's potential to increase electricity demand with its capacity to improve efficiency across various sectors.