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Deepfake Watch 26
Can AI Help Prevent A Climate Catastrophe? | Deepfake Watch
Browser View | August 16, 2024 | Subscribe
Look, I know I said this generative AI bubble is gonna blow up on our faces - and I stand by it. But that’s not to ignore the fact that there is tremendous potential in this tech - as long as it’s done transparently, without the invisible hand of tech bros trying to give it a spank every now and then.
If we are to do it responsibly, we have to address the myriad issues that it presents. Some we have been discussing for a while now - disinformation, scams, spams, non-consensual sexual content. There is one we have to address really quickly - the ever-growing hunger of AI data centres.
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It’s getting hotter by the year
A recent report by the International Energy Agency forecast a two-fold increase in electricity demand of global data centres between 2022 to 2026. And AI is expected to play a major role in this sudden jump.
Here is an excerpt from a recent editorial by the Los Angeles Times, that highlights a few key stats with regards to the rising energy needs of data centres, led by the rise of AI:
“Meeting that demand will put pressure on the U.S.’ aging electrical grid and, since 60% of electricity still comes from fossil fuels, increase planet-warming carbon emissions. Indeed, Google’s carbon emissions increased nearly 50% compared with 2019, which the company attributed to its data center energy consumption and supply chain emissions. Microsoft reported a nearly 30% increase in carbon emissions since 2020 due to the construction of data centers. The International Energy Agency estimates that in 2021, Amazon, Microsoft, Google and Meta collectively used 72 trillion watt hours, more than double the amount they used in 2017, and this number is expected to continue rising.”
A report by the World Economic Forum argues that AI can be used to better address climate change goals, and implement more efficient measures in tackling the problem. It lists down three key areas where AI can improve our approach - organising data on earth systems and satellite imagery, a GPT to translate complicated climate models into simple language, and boosting R&D by accelerating prototype models of climate-friendly tech.
There are ongoing projects using AI to build data-driven behavioural change models for more impactful ‘nudge’ towards sustainability among people. There is optimism that AI can help minimise emissions from standby grids by better predicting energy demand and supply, optimise route planning of vehicles and lower emissions by cutting down travel distance, improve recycling of waste through AI-led waste intelligence, and much more.
But the question is - how long will it take for all these potential benefits to turn into actual impact on the real world? Can world leaders and tech bros be driven to take climate change more seriously?
Felippa Amanta, a researcher at the Environmental Change Institute at the University of Oxford, had argued that regulations around the risk of AI often overlooks its impact on the environment, citing the EU AI Act as an example.
According to Amanta, even if AI helps us complete tasks more efficiently, it could have a “rebound effect” if it further boosts our energy demands. “Whether AI leads to more or less energy use will depend on how we adapt to using it,” she writes.
This issue is hardly a simple one. If you’re complaining about data centers, then AI is not the only power-guzzling entity - you have YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and other platforms that have been heating up the data centres for a while now.
While governments around the world are trying to work on data centre sustainability, we are yet to achieve a breakthrough in this field which will allow us to capitalise on the benefits of AI, without triggering a global climate crisis.
San Francisco Attorney goes after AI nudification tools
“This is not innovation - this is sexual abuse,” said San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu while announcing his lawsuit against sites that offer tools to ‘undress’ individuals (frequently targeting women) using AI.
The city of San Francisco has filed lawsuits against 18 websites and apps that generate non-consensual intimate imagery, making it one of the landmark efforts in the United States to hold accountable the creation and distribution of such tools.
“These images, which are virtually indistinguishable from real photographs, are used to extort, bully, threaten, and humiliate women and girls,” the announcement added.
It also highlights the growing prevalence of AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM) due to the unchecked use of such tools.
After the US Senate unanimously passed the Disrupt Explicit Forged Images and Non-Consensual Edits Act (DEFIANCE) Act last month, victims of sexually explicit deepfakes in the United States can now sue the creators of such content for $150,000 in damages, and up to $250,000, if it resulted in direct harm.
Latest updates on AI and Deepfakes
Have you been a victim of AI?
Have you been scammed by AI-generated videos or audio clips? Did you spot AI-generated nudes of yourself on the internet?
Decode is trying to document cases of abuse of AI, and would like to hear from you. If you are willing to share your experience, do reach out to us at [email protected]. Your privacy is important to us, and we shall preserve your anonymity.
About Decode and Deepfake Watch
Deepfake Watch is an initiative by Decode, dedicated to keeping you abreast of the latest developments in AI and its potential for misuse. Our goal is to foster an informed community capable of challenging digital deceptions and advocating for a transparent digital environment.
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