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AI’s Energy Drain from Poor Content: Can We Redefine AI for Climate Action?

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aArtificial intelligence is frequently linked to massive electricity consumption, resulting in global warming emissions that often support unproductive or misleading gains which contribute little to human advancement.

However, some AI proponents at a significant UN climate summit are presenting an alternative perspective. Could AI actually assist in addressing the climate crisis rather than exacerbating it?

The discussion of “AI for good” resonated at the Cop30 conference in Belem, Brazil, where advocates claim AI has the potential to lower emissions through various efficiencies that could impact multiple aspects of daily life, including food, transportation, and energy—major contributors to environmental pollution.


Recently, a coalition of organizations, UN agencies, and the Brazilian government announced the establishment of the AI Climate Institute, a new global initiative aimed at leveraging AI as a tool for empowerment to assist developing nations in addressing environmental issues.

Proponents assert that, over time, this initiative will educate countries on utilizing AI in various ways to curb emissions, including enhancing public transportation, streamlining agricultural systems, and adjusting energy grids to facilitate the timely integration of renewable energy.

Forecasting weather patterns, including the mapping of impending climate crises like floods and wildfires, could also be refined through this approach, remarked Maria João Souza, executive director of Climate Change AI, one of the organizations involved in the initiative.

“Numerical weather prediction models demand significant computational power, which limits their implementation in many regions,” she noted. “I believe AI will act as a beneficial force that accelerates many of these advancements.”

Lorenzo Sarr, chief sustainability officer at Clarity AI and also present at Cop30, emphasized that AI could aid in tracking emissions and biodiversity, providing insights into current conditions.

“One can truly begin to identify the problem areas,” he said. “Then predictions can be made. These forecasts can address both short-term and long-term scenarios. We can predict next week’s flooding, and also analyze phenomena like rising sea levels.”

Sarr acknowledged valid concerns regarding AI’s societal and governance impacts, but he expressed optimism that the overall environmental outcomes could be beneficial. A report released in June by the London School of Economics delivered unexpectedly positive projections, suggesting that AI could slash global greenhouse gas emissions by 3.2 billion to 5.4 billion tons over the next decade, even factoring in significant energy usage.

“People already make poor energy choices, such as overusing their air conditioners,” Sarr commented. “How much of what we do on our phones is detrimental? It’s a recurring thought for me. How many hours do we spend scrolling through Instagram?”

“I believe society will gravitate toward this direction. We must consider how to prevent harming the planet through heating while ensuring a net positive impact.”

Yet, some experts and environmental advocates remain skeptical. The immense computational demands of AI, particularly in the case of generative models, are driving a surge in data centers in countries like the U.S., which consume vast quantities of electricity and water—even in drought-prone areas—leading to surging electricity costs in certain regions.

The climate ramifications of this AI surge, propelled by companies like Google, Meta, and OpenAI, are considerable and likely to increase, as indicated by a recent study from Cornell University. This impact is comparable to adding 10 million gasoline cars to the roads or matching the annual emissions of all of Norway.

“There exists a techno-utopian belief that AI will rescue us from the climate crisis,” stated Jean Hsu, a climate activist at the Center for Biological Diversity. “However, we know what truly will save us from the climate crisis: the gradual elimination of fossil fuels, not AI.”

While AI may indeed enhance efficiency and lower emissions, these same technologies can be leveraged to optimize fossil fuel extraction as well. A recent report by Wood Mackenzie estimated that AI could potentially unlock an additional trillion barrels of oil. Such a scenario, if accepted by energy markets, would obliterate any chances of preventing severe climate change.

Natasha Hospedares, lead attorney for AI at Client Earth, remarked that while the “AI for good” argument holds some validity, it represents “a very small niche” within a far larger industry focused primarily on maximizing profits.

“There is some evidence that AI could assist developing nations, but much of this is either in the early stages or remains hypothetical, and actual implementation is still lacking,” she stated. “Overall, we are significantly distant from achieving a state where AI consistently mitigates its detrimental environmental impacts.”

“The environmental consequences of AI are already alarming, and I don’t foresee a slowdown in data center expansion anytime soon. A minor fraction of AI is being applied for beneficial purposes, while the vast majority is being exploited by companies like Google and Meta, primarily for profit at the expense of the environment and human rights.”

Source: www.theguardian.com

Struggling to Focus After a Poor Night’s Sleep? Blame Your Overworked Mind!

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Are you having trouble focusing? It might be that your brain needs a wash.

Jenny Evans/Getty Images

We all recognize that lack of sleep hampers our concentration, but what’s the reason behind it? It may be that your brain is temporarily losing focus as it attempts to refresh itself.

During sleep, the brain undergoes a cleansing process where cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) circulates into the organs and drains out at the base of the brain. This cycle helps eliminate the metabolic waste that builds up during waking hours. If this doesn’t happen, brain cells could be harmed.

Laura Lewis and her team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology theorized that the drop in alertness often seen after insufficient sleep could stem from the brain trying to make up for lost time while awake.

To test this theory, researchers enlisted 26 participants aged between 19 and 40 to first ensure they were well-rested. Two weeks later, they were kept awake overnight in a lab setting.

In both instances, the researchers recorded participants’ brain activity using MRI scans the next morning while they performed two specific tasks. During these tasks, participants needed to press a button every time they heard a particular sound or saw a cross on the screen transform into a square. This occurred many times over a span of 12 minutes.

As anticipated, participants struggled to hit the button significantly more often when sleep-deprived compared to when they were well-rested. This indicates that lack of sleep diminishes concentration capacity.

Notably, the analysis of the brain scans revealed that participants lost focus approximately two seconds before the CSF was expelled from the base of the brain. Additionally, the CSF was reabsorbed into the brain about one second after attention was regained.

“Think of the brain-cleansing process like a washing machine: you fill it with water, let it agitate, and then drain it. The loss of attention corresponds to the swirling phase,” Lewis explains.

The results imply that if the brain is unable to cleanse itself during sleep, it compensates while you’re awake, thus impairing concentration, according to Lewis. “If this wave of fluid flow doesn’t occur, because you were awake the entire night, your brain starts sneaking in this process during the day, but it comes at the price of your focus.”

While the exact reason for how this cleaning process affects attention remains unclear, pinpointing the specific brain circuits involved may help uncover strategies to mitigate the cognitive impacts of sleep deprivation, Lewis states.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

This Cat-Related Parasite Might Be Influencing Your Poor Choices: Here’s How

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Parasites transmitted by cats may influence the behavior of nearly half of the global population, leading to riskier behaviors and increased aggression.

A recent review article aggregated various studies to emphasize the significance of considering both mental health and the physical consequences of parasite infections.

Reviews published in Frontiers of Psychiatry focus on the most prevalent parasitic infections affecting humans, particularly Toxoplasma gondii.

These parasites can enhance the production of dopamine, a hormone associated with feelings of pleasure, in the brain.

While increased dopamine may seem beneficial, it actually promotes detrimental behaviors, resulting in poor impulse control, heightened aggression, and an increase in risky sexual practices.

“The societal implications of these findings are significant,” the study notes. “The potential for behavioral modifications due to widespread infections of parasites like T. gondii highlights that such infectious diseases can lead to psychological and social challenges in addition to medical ones.”

“Particularly, the likelihood that these infections can intensify aggressive and impulsive behaviors raises vital considerations for understanding and preventing violence and behavioral disorders.”

It is estimated that 30-60% of the global population may be infected with T. gondii, though rates in the U.S. are significantly lower, around 10%.

Most healthy adults do not exhibit obvious physical symptoms, resulting in many infections going unnoticed.

The ultimate target for T. gondii – the cat’s digestive system. Image source: Getty Images/Artmarie

Cats are primary hosts for these parasites as they reproduce within the cat’s digestive system, forming egg-like structures known as oocysts.

Once cats excrete waste, these oocysts can contaminate the environment, infiltrating soil, water, and vegetation. Other animals, including the prey of cats like birds and rodents, may ingest them.

In a bid to return to a cat’s digestive tract, T. gondii has adapted to manipulate the brain chemistry of these prey species, making them less likely to escape and more likely to be consumed.

Humans primarily contract T. gondii through handling cat feces or consuming undercooked foods. Fortunately, there are simple measures to reduce the risk of infection.

  • Thoroughly wash your hands, knives, and cutting boards after handling raw food, especially meat.
  • Ensure that lamb, pork, venison, and other meats are cooked thoroughly.
  • Thoroughly rinse fruits and vegetables under running water.
  • Avoid unpasteurized milk and dairy products, especially goat milk.
  • Wear gloves while gardening.
  • Exercise caution and wash hands after cleaning the cat’s litter box.

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Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Dementia risk factors identified: Poor vision and high cholesterol

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Vision loss linked to dementia

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A large-scale study has identified poor eyesight and high cholesterol as two new risk factors for dementia. The study claims that eliminating these factors, along with 12 other previously recognized factors, could prevent almost half of all dementia cases worldwide. However, some of these factors are difficult to eliminate, and genetics and advanced age remain the biggest risk factors for developing dementia.

“Dementia may be one of the most significant health threats facing the nation.” Gil Livingston “The possibility of changing this and significantly reducing the number of people suffering from depression is crucial,” said researchers from University College London. [this] disease.”

A 2020 study identified 12 potentially modifiable risk factors for dementia, including hearing loss, depression, smoking, high blood pressure, heavy alcohol consumption, obesity, air pollution, traumatic brain injury, diabetes, social isolation, physical inactivity and lack of education.

Livingstone and 26 other dementia experts from around the world updated the list based on the latest evidence, retaining the 12 risk factors but adding two new ones: high levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) “bad” cholesterol before age 65 and untreated vision loss in later life.

The researchers included high LDL cholesterol based on several new findings, including: Analysis of 17 studies The study followed around 1.2 million British participants under the age of 65 for over a year.

The results showed that for every 1 millimole per liter (mmol/L) increase in LDL cholesterol, the incidence of dementia increased by 8 percent. In another study of similar size, High LDL cholesterol (above 3 mmol/L) has been linked to a 33% increased risk of dementia, on average, and this risk is most pronounced in people who had high LDL cholesterol in midlife. “So it really does matter how long you have it,” Livingston says.

The researchers suggest that this association may mean that excess cholesterol in the brain increases the risk of stroke and contributes to dementia. Cholesterol has also been linked to the buildup of beta-amyloid protein plaques in the brain, which is linked to Alzheimer's disease.

Untreated vision loss can: Analysis of 14 studiesThe study, which involved more than 6.2 million older adults who were initially cognitively healthy, showed a 47% increased risk of developing dementia over 14.5 years. In another analysis, the risk The decline in vision was mainly due to cataracts and complications from diabetes. [loss] “There's a risk because you're reducing cognitive stimulation,” Livingston said, even though some research suggests that such stimulation may make the brain more resilient to dementia.

The researchers then used their model to estimate what percentage of dementia cases worldwide could be prevented if each of 14 modifiable risk factors were eliminated. They found that hearing loss and high cholesterol had the greatest impact, each contributing about 7 percent of dementia cases, while obesity and excessive alcohol consumption had the least impact, each contributing 1 percent. If all factors were eliminated, the team estimated that about 45 percent of dementia cases could be prevented.

But just because these factors are associated with dementia doesn't mean they cause it, he said. Dylan Williams“So even if we target interventions at them, they may not prevent as much disease as we would hope,” said researcher David L. Schneider of University College London, who was not involved in the report.

These estimates are only population averages and don't capture individual-level risk, Williams says. So removing all factors from your life wouldn't necessarily halve your risk of dementia, which is heavily influenced by genetics and age. Eliminating many of these risk factors, like air pollution or lack of education, would also require public health interventions rather than individual changes, Williams says.

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Source: www.newscientist.com