Artificial intelligence development is increasing harmful emissions

The rapid development of artificial intelligence technologies is not only driving the digital revolution but also contributing to serious environmental problems, as reported by Zamin.uz.

Recent reports from Google and Amazon, two of the world's largest technology companies, show that the race to deploy artificial intelligence has sharply increased harmful emissions released into the environment. These figures are now being widely discussed in international technology publications.

According to analyses, Google's total carbon dioxide emissions have increased by twenty-five percent compared to last year. At Amazon, this indicator stands at sixteen percent.

Both companies had pledged in recent years to completely eliminate harmful gases released into the atmosphere. However, the enormous demand for electricity and water from new technologies is putting this ambitious goal under question.

Although the companies did not directly blame artificial intelligence for the rise in emissions in their reports, indirect evidence clearly points to it. Google and Amazon have acknowledged that their energy consumption has significantly increased over the past year to support artificial intelligence systems.

Despite investments in renewable energy sources, they are forced to rely on natural gas power plants to meet computing power needs. The main issue lies in indirect emissions—this category includes goods and services that companies do not directly control but are necessary for their operations.

For example, purchasing powerful graphics processors needed for artificial intelligence and building large data centers fall into this category. Such indirect emissions at Google have doubled compared to levels five years ago.

Amazon's situation is even more complex. The company reported that it has launched more data center capacity globally this year than any other corporation.

In just the last quarter alone, over two gigawatts of additional power were added. This kind of expansion is making it harder for the company to meet its environmental obligations, as newly constructed facilities consume vast amounts of energy.

What is striking is that both companies, in their reports, have paused to mention the potential benefits of artificial intelligence for the environment. They emphasize that this technology can help in the fight against climate change, but current figures so far show the opposite.

Experts believe that technology giants need to seriously reconsider their operational practices. For developing countries like Uzbekistan, this situation serves as an important lesson, highlighting the need to find a balance between technological progress and environmental preservation.