California (Web Desk): The United Nations has issued a strong warning over the growing environmental impact of artificial intelligence (AI), urging countries worldwide to take the issue seriously as the technology rapidly expands.
According to the UN, the increasing use of AI is driving up energy consumption, water usage, and carbon emissions, posing a significant challenge to environmental sustainability.
The report highlights that AI data centres consume vast amounts of resources, requiring large quantities of electricity to operate and significant volumes of water for cooling systems. They also demand extensive land for infrastructure development.
A report by the UN Institute for Water, Environment and Health in Canada further notes that the environmental impact of AI is not limited to data centres alone.
The production of computer chips, the use of rare minerals, and the growing volume of electronic waste are also placing additional pressure on the environment.
It adds that everyday user activity also contributes to this burden, as each query, prompt, image generation, and online search requires substantial computing power, further increasing energy demand.
The United Nations has called on governments, tech companies, and investors to integrate environmental considerations into all AI-related decisions to ensure that the technology develops in a sustainable and environmentally responsible manner.