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Claims that AI can help fix climate dismissed as greenwashing
Industry using ‘diversionary’ tactics, says analyst, as energy-hungry complex functions such as video generation and deep research proliferate Tech companies are conflating traditional artificial intelligence with generative AI when claiming the energy-hungry technology could help avert climate breakdown, according to a report. Most claims that AI can help avert climate breakdown refer to machine learning…
Starmer says X reportedly now complying with law over Grok image abuse – UK politics live
PM says he welcomes moves but also says existing laws could be strengthened and Ofcom investigation will continue Here are extracts from three interesting comment articles about the digital ID U-turn. Ailbhe Rea in the New Statesman in the New Statesmans says there were high hopes for the policy when it was first announced. I…
Battery electric cars will overtake diesels in Great Britain by 2030, analysis suggests
London predicted to be the first UK city to go diesel-free, largely because of the ultra-low emission zone Battery electric cars are poised to overtake diesels on Great Britain’s roads by 2030, according to analysis that suggests London will be the first UK city to go diesel-free. The number of diesel cars on Great Britain’s…
‘Just an unbelievable amount of pollution’: how big a threat is AI to the climate?
Defenders say AI can do good to fight the climate crisis. But spiralling energy and water costs leave experts worried During a golden sunset in Memphis in May, Sharon Wilson pointed a thermal imaging camera at Elon Musk’s flagship datacentre to reveal a planetary threat her eyes could not. Free from pollution controls, the gas-fired…
‘It brings you closer to the natural world’: the rise of the Merlin birdsong identifying app
Merlin has been trained to identify the songs of more than 1,300 bird species around the world When Natasha Walter first became curious about the birds around her, she recorded their songs on her phone and arduously tried to match each song with online recordings. After a friend recommended Merlin Bird ID, a free app,…
AI boom has caused same CO2 emissions in 2025 as New York City, report claims
Study author says tech companies are reaping benefits of artificial intelligence age but society is left to pay cost The AI boom has caused as much carbon dioxide to be released into the atmosphere in 2025 as emitted by the whole of New York City, it has been claimed. The global environmental impact of the…
Conservatives would end 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel cars
Party would also abolish zero-emission vehicle mandate, cutting legal requirement on carmakers to sell EVs The Conservatives have announced proposals to end the 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel cars and cut the legal requirement on car manufacturers to sell electric vehicles. A Conservative government would abolish the zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate, ending the…
Datacentres demand huge amounts of electricity. Could they derail Australia’s net zero ambitions?
Banks of servers operating 24/7 generate massive amounts of heat, requiring power to run and cool them Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Sign up for climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s free Clear Air newsletter here Datacentre power demand in Australia could triple in five years and is forecast to exceed…
What AI doesn’t know: we could be creating a global ‘knowledge collapse’ | Deepak Varuvel Dennison
As GenAI becomes the primary way to find information, local and traditional wisdom is being lost. And we are only beginning to realise what we’re missing This article was originally published as ‘Holes in the web’ on Aeon.co A few years back, my dad was diagnosed with a tumour on his tongue – which meant…
Datacenters meet resistance over environmental concerns as AI boom spreads in Latin America
An expert describes how communities in some of the world’s driest areas are demanding transparency as secretive governments court billions in foreign investment This Q&A originally appeared as part of The Guardian’s TechScape newsletter. Sign up for this weekly newsletter here. The datacenters that power the artificial intelligence boom are beyond enormous. Their financials, their…