Google, one of the world's largest and most influential tech companies, has made a variety of commitments about its current and future operations, including a goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2030, a long way from the innocent days of "don't be evil" into the more mundane and potentially consequential We have come a long way into the realm of things that have more mundane and potentially consequential consequences.

Google has now released its 2024 Environmental Report. The report euphemistically includes a section called "AI for Sustainability," offering users the opportunity to read the report through AI. This is because the report's primary message is that AI projects have caused Google's emissions to skyrocket. The report reveals that the company's increased use of power-hungry data centers for AI research has led to a 48% increase in greenhouse gas emissions over the past five years

and that the company's use of power-hungry data centers for AI research has led to a 48% increase in greenhouse gas emissions

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Google blames its electricity consumption and broader supply chain for its emissions of 14.3 million tons in 2023, a 13% increase over the 2022 figure. Note that Google's net-zero goal calls for a significant reduction in emissions.

"We know that achieving net zero emissions by 2030 is an extremely ambitious goal and will not be easy. Our approach will continue to evolve and we will need to overcome significant uncertainties, including uncertainties about the future environmental impact of AI, which is complex and difficult to predict."

Well... . it seems fairly certain what impact AI is having on the environment at this point in time. In addition to the above, Google is basically raising both hands. "Solutions to some key global challenges do not currently exist and will largely depend on a broader transition to clean energy. In other words, nobody's got fusion up and running yet, so don't blame us. [AI has the potential to reduce global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 5-10% by 2030." Google further cites its ability to help with traffic route efficiency and traffic light operation, among other things. This is all well and good, but it doesn't seem to address the carbon elephant in the room.

At least some people agree that AI will eventually offset its own energy consumption. As Bill Gates told journalists at a recent conference.

"Data centers, in the extreme case, would add 6% [of energy demand], but probably only 2% to 2.5%. The question is whether AI will accelerate the reduction beyond 6%.

Google concludes its report with a huge list of organizations it is working with and initiatives it is supporting. This is a good thing, because while we are pleased that some of Google's endless funds have been used to restore "750 acres of monarch butterfly habitat throughout California," we are not convinced that it will serve as any meaningful counterweight to the more than 14 million tons of emissions.

Unless there is an unforeseen breakthrough, things are unlikely to get better. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that data center power usage will simply increase, doubling to 1,000 TWh (terawatt hours) in the next two years. This estimate is widely accepted by analysts, who believe that AI consumption is pushing the world toward a global energy crisis: in 2022, Microsoft and Google data centers used 32 billion liters of water. Operating at higher speeds will result in higher temperatures.

These numbers are unfathomably large and demonstrate Big Tech's full commitment to pushing AI technology forward. One is right to wonder what we are actually getting out of this enormous use of resources. Because so far, the only real answers seem to be bad chatbots, droll images, and endless promises that this will one day change the world.

In other words, we may eventually be cooking in our own skin, but at least our AI buddies will be able to advise us on how best to mitigate the side effects of impending death, and by 2030, AI may have a good answer.

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