A coalition around the necessity of a common vision for sustainable AI, an observatory dedicated to the impact of AI on energy consumption, a roadmap for the standardization of environmentally sustainable AI… : what conclusions can be drawn from the Forum for Sustainable AI? A look back at the most important points of the day.
On Tuesday, February 11, at the Roquelaure Hotel, the Minister of Ecological Transition hosted the first Forum for Sustainable AI, a major event that highlighted the challenges and solutions related to more responsible and environmentally friendly artificial intelligence. This forum, organized on the sidelines of the Global Summit for Action on AI, gathered throughout the day over 300 public and private stakeholders, AI specialists, researchers, and companies around a central theme: frugal AI. Here are the most important points to remember from this day rich in fruitful exchanges.
- Launch of the “Coalition for Environmentally Sustainable Artificial Intelligence”
During her introductory speech, Minister of Ecological Transition Agnès Pannier-Runacher announced the launch of the “Coalition for Environmentally Sustainable Artificial Intelligence”. Aimed at establishing a framework for exchanges and promoting advancements on the challenges and issues at the intersection of artificial intelligence and the environment, this coalition has set as its motto the acceleration of the “global dynamics aimed at placing AI on a more ecologically sustainable path” (press release from the Ministry of Territorial Development and Ecological Transition).
Led by France, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), supported at its launch by 10 countries (Germany, Chile, South Korea, Denmark, Finland, India, Kenya, Morocco, Norway, United Kingdom) and bringing together 91 partners including 37 technology companies such as French firms Mistral AI, Orange, Thales, as well as foreign giants IBM, Salesforce, and Nvidia, the Coalition unites the “stakeholders in the AI value chain for ambitious dialogue and collaborative initiatives” (press release from the Ministry of Territorial Development and Ecological Transition). Since its launch, 10 days ago, the number of members has already surpassed a hundred.
Link to the Coalition for Environmentally Sustainable Artificial Intelligence website: https://www.sustainableaicoalition.org/
- Publication of a “position paper” dedicated to identifying five key challenges for more sustainable AI
Developed in collaboration with the National Institute for Research in Computer Science and Automation (INRIA) and the Ministry of Territorial Development and Ecological Transition, this “position paper” was made possible by consulting over a hundred experts from research, industry, international organizations, and NGOs, and by the active and written contribution of more than 35 organizations. This document identifies five major challenges to address in order to improve the environmental performance of AI:
– The development of more ecologically efficient AI technologies.
– The design of specialized, agile models trained on reliable datasets.
– The establishment of better methods and data to evaluate the environmental footprint of AI.
– The promotion of a circular economy for the hardware used in AI.
– Changing the perception of AI to promote a more responsible and frugal vision.
This “position paper” has also been supervised and received support from a large number of key players in the industry and academia.
Link to the position paper: https://www.sustainableaicoalition.org/key-challenges/#ForumForSustainableA
- Creation of the first Observatory dedicated to the impact of AI on energy consumption
Whereas a request on Chat GPT consumes 10 times more electricity than a Google search, and that all data centers are responsible for over 1.4% of the world’s electricity consumption, energy consumption has become an issue of AI that cannot be ignored. To address this, the International Energy Agency (IEA) announced during the forum the creation of a global Observatory, which will aim to measure the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on energy consumption worldwide.
More precisely, this observatory will focus on providing a “global and informed view of the impact of AI on the energy sector”, according to Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the IEA. To do this, the IEA intends to focus on anticipating the energy needs of data centers and AI models, adopting a transparent approach, and optimizing energy systems to minimize carbon emissions.
For more information on the Observatory: https://www.connaissancedesenergies.org/afp/laie-va-lancer-un-observatoire-sur-limpact-de-lia-sur-la-consommation-denergie-250211
[Find the rest of the sustainable AI deliverables in our upcoming posts]