Google & IBM: What is AI in Sustainability?
According to McKinsey research, 78% of organisations use AI in at least one business function.
With the rise of generative AI tools like ChatGPT, it has infiltrated everyday life for many people.
This is also true for sustainability, although there are concerns about its intensive energy use and its social impact.
Kate Brandt, Chief Sustainability Officer at Google, said on LinkedIn: “Now, with just a few lines of code, researchers and governments can do complex analysis with machine learning to create maps for urban expansion, agriculture and clean energy planning.”
AI for energy improvements
AI algorithms can analyse and predict energy usage patterns, optimise building and industrial energy consumption and help to reduce energy waste.
Google’s DeepMind used AI to improve the cooling of its data centers, cutting cooling energy use by 40% and lowering its carbon footprint.
It can also be used to enhance the performance of renewable energy sources like wind and solar by forecasting output, improving grid management and scheduling maintenance.
DeepMind machine learning algorithms have been applied to 700 MW of Google’s wind power capacity in the US and boosted the value of its wind energy by roughly 20%.
In smart grids, AI can be used to drive analysis of sensor and meter data, allowing utilities to better manage electricity supply and demand alongside improving grid reliability.
Claudia Cosoreanu, Chief Technology Officer for Grid Automation in the Electrification Segment at GE Vernova, explains: "Managing the grid with so much variability without detailed information about its assets, loads, generation and the ecosystem around it is like driving a car with no windshield.”
The data centres behind AI use vast amounts of energy both for power and cooling, but research from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and Systemiq shows that its benefits could outweigh this.
Climate and environmental modelling
AI can help to analyse large and complex climate datasets to offer more accurate climate predictions and identify at-risk areas for drought or flooding.
Google’s Flood Hub offers real-time global flood forecasting using two models that process diverse publicly available data.
It can provide alerts to people in areas about to be impacted up to seven days before disaster strikes.
Weather and climate can also be modelled more accurately by using AI.
IBM, in partnership with NASA and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has developed an open source AI foundation model for weather and climate applications.
This model, named Prithvi-WxC, is designed to improve both short-term weather forecasting and long-term climate projections.
IBM has also collaborated with the WWF to develop new technical solutions using AI to improve elephant monitoring.
Oday Abbosh, Global Sustainability Services Leader at IBM Consulting, says: "At IBM, we strive to make a lasting, positive impact on the world in business, our environment and the communities in which we work and live.
“Our collaboration with WWF marks a significant step forward in this effort.
“By combining our expertise in technology and sustainability with WWF's conservation expertise, we aim to leverage the power of technology to create a more sustainable future."
AI for corporate sustainability
Corporate ESG efforts can also be supported by AI, speeding up monitoring and analysis of environmental impacts.
This can help to set sustainability goals, monitor progress towards them and demonstrate compliance with regulations.
Sustainability data platform Sweep uses AI to automate data collection, analysis and reporting tasks.
It offers personalised solutions for ESG reporting, providing suggested answers customised to an organisation’s context and industry standards.
Salesforce Net Zero Cloud is a decarbonisation platform unified with Data Cloud and Agentforce, connecting granular data across finance, procurement and operations.
Prashanthi Sudhakar, Head of Product for Salesforce Net Zero Cloud, says: “We recently launched Agentforce for Net Zero Cloud – a powerful new capability that transforms how sustainability teams work.
“Unline traditional solutions, Agentforce for Net Zero Cloud streamlines sustainability reporting, cuts operational costs and boost efficiency with pre-built agent topics and actions.”