Artificial intelligence has the potential to "speed up truly transformative innovation in climate critical areas," says the executive secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for East Europe and Central Asia, but it must be balanced against "risks arising from the large environmental footprints of many current applications of AI, broad fairness, trustworthiness, and ownership concerns, and issues related to access, data security, and privacy."
That's the message from UNECE, which is calling on member states to support the ethical and effective use of AI for driving innovation and PPP investments into climate action and infrastructure resilience, per a press release.
The release notes that public and private investments are needed to make critical infrastructure, including roads, airports, and power plants, more resilient to climate change and extreme weather events.
"AI can be used to monitor and maintain critical infrastructure, ensuring robust responses to environmental stresses and natural disasters," says UNECE's Tatiana Molcean.
But "these opportunities must be balanced against risks arising from the large environmental footprints of many current applications of AI, broad fairness, trustworthiness, and ownership concerns, and issues related to access, data security, and privacy," she adds.
(Here's how AI could help fight climate change.)
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