Artificial intelligence helped Google to harm the environment less

Google has published its annual Environmental Report on the environmental impact of its business. Representatives of the tech giant explained how artificial intelligence in Google cloud services helps to minimize environmental damage.

The AI used in Google Maps optimizes routes, reducing fuel consumption or traction battery consumption. «By using artificial intelligence technologies in Google Maps, we managed to prevent 1.2 million tons of carbon emissions, which is the same amount generated by 250,000 cars with internal combustion engines in a year,» the company representatives emphasized. The share of carbon-free energy in Google’s consumption decreased from 66% to 64% in 2022, and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions increased by 37%.

Google said that the company has managed to make its data centers one of the most efficient in the world. At the same time, the tech giant’s specialists help clients make decisions in their work to reduce emissions and eliminate climate risks. For example, the Active Assist feature in Google Cloud uses AI to identify potentially unnecessary loads, which can not only reduce carbon emissions but also save money.

It is worth noting that despite the positive impact of AI on the environment, artificial intelligence can provoke a global problem. Tech giants, including Google, overconsume fresh water to cool data centers, which can cause a shortage in regions where there were problems with drinking water before.

According to Google’s 2023 report, the company consumed an astronomical amount of water last year — 5.6 billion gallons of water. This is 20% more than in 2021. This growth is primarily driven by the development of artificial intelligence technologies, which require enormous computing power to train and huge amounts of water to cool data centers.