‘Just an unbelievable amount of pollution’: how big a threat is AI to the climate? Free from pollution controls, the gas-fired turbines that power the world’s biggest AI supercomputer were pumping invisible fumes into the Tennessee sky.The Guardian’s journalism is independent. Others are sanguine about the energy costs, arguing they pale in comparison not just to polluting industries, but also to the technology’s power to reshape society.How big a threat is AI to the climate? That same year, it began a digital project with Chevron that the oil company says has cut 30 days off its deepwater well planning process. Spain, which is the only country to mention AI in a piece of climate legislation, obliges the government to promote digitalisation that can help decarbonise the economy.

Source: The Guardian January 04, 2026 04:59 UTC