Science & Tech · AI · 7 hrs ago
Evidence for AI’s climate benefits remains limited
As countries meet for the UN climate conference in Antalya, Turkey, the role of AI in climate action is in focus.
A 2025 study estimated that AI could help cut global emissions by 3.2 billion to 5.4 billion tons of carbon dioxide a year by 2035, after accounting for AI’s own energy use.
The projected gains are concentrated in power, meat and dairy, and vehicles.
But a review of public information found that few major companies have announced plans to use AI through the specific methods behind those estimates, and fewer report meaningful results.
In the power sector, AI forecasting could help get more renewable electricity from existing wind and solar facilities onto the grid.
One example is a UK partnership between National Grid ESO and Open Climate Fix, which halved solar-forecasting error and avoided hundreds of thousands of tons of carbon dioxide a year.
In food, NotCo and Kraft Heinz have formed a joint venture to use AI to develop plant-based alternatives that match animal products in taste, texture and smell.
The gap between projected benefits and current results means AI’s climate promise remains largely unproven.
An analysis found little public evidence that major companies are using AI in ways likely to deliver significant emissions cuts.
The analysis reviewed public information from major companies in the power, meat and dairy, and vehicle sectors.
A study estimated that AI could help cut global emissions by 3.2 billion to 5.4 billion tons of carbon dioxide annually by 2035, after accounting for AI’s energy use.
The clearest example cited was a UK partnership that halved a grid operator’s solar-forecast error and avoided hundreds of thousands of tons of carbon dioxide a year.
The meat and dairy sector faces a gap between AI’s technical potential and market adoption, with one effort involving a joint venture between NotCo and Kraft Heinz.
- Who
- Major companies in the power, meat and dairy, and vehicle sectors, as well as AI companies and researchers.
- What
- An analysis found limited evidence that companies are using AI to achieve significant emissions reductions.
- When
- The article was published on November 9, 2026. It refers to a climate conference taking place that week.
- Where
- The analysis covered companies in the power, meat and dairy, and vehicle sectors. The grid-operator review included China, the United States, and Europe.
- Why
- The article examines whether companies are putting AI to use in ways that could deliver the emissions reductions projected by researchers.
AI companies and proponents
Article's researchers
Climate impact
AI companies and proponents
AI could help reduce emissions; a 2023 Google sustainability op-ed said it could cut global emissions by 5% to 10% by 2030.
Article's researchers
The analysis found few companies publicly pursuing the specific emissions-reducing approaches behind researchers’ projections.
The head of sustainability at Google and a coauthor wrote that AI could reduce global emissions by 5% to 10% by 2030.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said AI would unleash “astounding triumphs,” including “fixing the climate.
A peer-reviewed study estimated AI could help cut global emissions by 3.2 billion to 5.4 billion tons of carbon dioxide annually by 2035.
NotCo formed a joint venture with Kraft Heinz to use its AI platform to develop alternatives that replicate animal products.
Countries are meeting in Antalya, Turkey, for the United Nations climate conference.
- Projected emissions cuts
- 3.2 billion to 5.4 billion tons of carbon dioxide annually by 2035
- Projected global reduction
- 5% to 10% by 2030, according to a 2023 Google sustainability op-ed
- Grid review
- China, the United States, and Europe
- UK partnership
- National Grid ESO and Open Climate Fix
- Forecast improvement
- Solar-forecast error halved
- Food technology venture
- NotCo and Kraft Heinz, using the platform Giuseppe
What people are saying
astounding triumphs
fixing the climate