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How Can AI Create a Sustainable Future
Last updated: May, 2023
AI and sustainability go hand-in-hand.
According to research by PwC UK, using AI tools to manage our environmental impact can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 4%, create 38.2 million new jobs by 2030, and boost the global GDP by up to $5 trillion.
But how can it help your business?
AI in sustainability has a plethora of use cases. It can improve your operational efficiency, waste management and re-engage your employees.
Sustainability and AI: 5 Ways It Can Help Your Business
Here are some ways AI can revolutionize how you do business, help you cut costs, and create a culture of sustainability.
1. Energy Consumption Optimization
The major advantage of AI algorithms is their ability to process vast amounts of data. You can use this to your advantage to reduce your energy consumption.
AI tools can analyze your energy use history and identify patterns and inefficiencies. Then, you can adjust your operations to minimize your consumption without impacting your productivity.
For example, Google’s DeepMind used AI to optimize its cooling systems in its data centers.
The result?
A 9-13% reduction in energy use.
RELATED: How Can Artificial Intelligence Help in Climate Change?
2. Renewable Energy Installation Costs
Another way AI can assist is with keeping expenses to a minimum for renewable energy sources like wind and solar power.
One of the best examples is with GE. The multinational conglomerate introduced AI-based tools to analyze installation logistics for its wind turbines.
The project was a success. It saw a 10% reduction in expenses for installation, and the company expects to see a global cost savings of $25 billion over the next ten years.
Additionally, you can also use AI-driven maintenance to proactively identify and address issues and keep downtime to a minimum.
3. Supply Chain and Inventory Optimization
Depending on the type of business you run, the transportation of goods and supplies might make up a big part of your carbon footprint.
You can use AI to optimize delivery route planning to reduce your emissions. The algorithms can analyze various factors like traffic patterns, weather conditions, and vehicle types to determine the most fuel-efficient routes.
You can take it a step further and use AI, like Walmart, to optimize your inventory management.
The company’s AI-driven systems use a variety of factors to determine the timing and quantity of inventory flow. It helps Walmart understand customer demands and distribute the right products at the right time with greater accuracy.
For at-home delivery, Walmart optimizes its Spark delivery routes with AI to save time from the time a purchase is made to the person’s front door.
RELATED: X AI Climate Change Solutions You Need to Know About
4. Accurate ESG Reporting
AI tools can help streamline the process of tracking, measuring, and analyzing business data, offering a seamless solution for quick and accurate ESG reporting.
As ESG regulations become more complex worldwide, AI technology can enable real-time monitoring of legislative changes, ensuring that firms remain compliant.
This proactive stance reduces the risk of penalties, protects and safeguards your company’s reputation, and demonstrates your commitment to your sustainability goals.
5. Employee Engagement
Beyond operational efficiency, AI plays a crucial role in building a culture of sustainability within your organization.
AI platforms can engage employees in sustainability initiatives through personalized recommendations and insights, making them active participants in your company’s environmental efforts.
This engagement amplifies the impact of sustainability programs and strengthens the company’s commitment to environmental stewardship.
For example, Emission Sentri uses GenAI to generate monthly emails with intelligent recommendations for individual employees. It helps you avoid the manual work of continuously nudging and gives your team the support they need to choose greener actions.
More Examples of Artificial Intelligence for Climate Change in Action
- Global Fishing Watch: A collaborative effort between Google, SkyTruth, and Oceana led to the creation of the Global Fishing Watch platform. Utilizing machine learning, this platform provides near real-time tracking of vessel movement, aiming to increase transparency and combat overfishing. This approach illustrates how AI can contribute to sustainable fishing practices by identifying and highlighting areas of illegal fishing activity for further investigation.
- Agriculture and Food Production: Technologies like aWhere and Plantix employ AI to transform agriculture. Using satellite imagery and machine learning, aWhere gathers billions of data points to forecast weather and analyze crops, aiding farmers in increasing yields and profitability with reduced environmental impact. Similarly, Plantix leverages image recognition to diagnose plant diseases and pests, offering sustainable solutions to reduce chemical usage in farming.
- Water Management: WINT employs AI to detect leaks in commercial and government buildings, showcasing the potential of technology in conserving water and preventing property damage. This solution not only addresses the wastage of water but also contributes to substantial financial savings.
- Reducing Food Waste: Winnow is tackling food waste in the hospitality sector with Winnow Vision, an AI-powered tool that uses computer vision to help kitchens track and reduce waste. Automatically identifying and measuring waste enables chefs to adjust purchasing and preparation practices, leading to less food waste and operational cost savings.
RELATED: Generative AI for Sustainability: Is It Possible?
AI in Sustainability: Working Towards a Greener Future
Artificial intelligence is a game changer for climate change. With its ability to process and analyze vast amounts of data, your business has the tools it needs to fast-track the planet toward a sustainable future.
From optimizing your energy consumption and delivery routes to revolutionizing waste management and enhancing employee engagement, the potential of AI is transformative.
But where do you begin?
With your employees.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is “AI in sustainability”?
AI in sustainability refers to applying artificial intelligence technologies to address environmental challenges and promote sustainable practices. This can include optimizing energy use, reducing waste, and improving resource management through data analysis, predictive modeling, and automation.
2. How can AI contribute to achieving sustainability goals?
AI contributes to sustainability by enabling more efficient use of resources, enhancing energy efficiency, facilitating the transition to renewable energy sources, and improving waste management. It helps analyze large datasets to identify patterns and insights leading to more sustainable practices.
3. What are the challenges in implementing AI for sustainability?
Challenges include the high initial cost and complexity of AI systems, the need for large datasets to train AI models, potential biases in AI algorithms, and the environmental impact of training large AI models. Additionally, integrating AI solutions into existing infrastructures and processes is challenging.