AI innovation key to developing greener tech

[Marion, “Could Artificial Intelligence deliver a green transition?” Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, 31 August, 2023, https://www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminstitute/news/could-artificial-intelligence-deliver-a-green-transition/ Accessed 7.21.24 GDI-HB]

An opportunity to grasp

What does this all mean for the transition? It is important to remind ourselves that innovation is central to the net-zero transition. Many commentators claim that the technical solutions exist, and that we are only missing political will. It is true that renewables have become cost-competitive in some markets and that affordable electric vehicles are within reach. However, we are still missing many key elements of a zero-carbon economy: ultra-high-density batteries, affordable hydrogen, smart grid solutions that can smooth intermittent renewables, advanced clean fuels for aviation etc… Overall, the International Energy Agency estimates that 50 per cent of the technologies we need to achieve net-zero by 2050 are still in prototype phase. This is why accelerating the pace of innovation in low-carbon technologies is very important.

This study shows that AI and ICT have been enabling low-carbon innovation. Thus, the idea that AI can enable a faster transition is not wishful thinking – evidence from the recent past supports this vision. As we move forward, there’s a significant opportunity to boost clean innovation if we can deliberately steer AI and ICT towards the greener technologies of the future.