How Can Google Make its AI More Sustainable?

Google is harnessing AI to lead in the field of technological advancements.

AI is reshaping efficiencies and fostering breakthroughs in sectors like healthcare, offering smarter digital interactions.

However, the ramifications of this technological evolution are becoming increasingly evident, particularly in terms of environmental sustainability.

Google's report, The AI Opportunity for Europe’s Climate Goals - a Policy Roadmap, places the company at the centre of discussions to balance AI advancements with ecological sustainability.

AI’s environmental paradox

Google has long positioned itself as a leader in corporate sustainability, achieving carbon neutrality in 2007, matching 100% of its electricity consumption with renewable energy since 2017 and targeting carbon-free operations by 2030.

The AI systems, such as Google's Gemini, are pivotal in these efforts.

These systems integrate into many Google products, including Google Earth, Gmail and Docs to democratise geospatial information and help businesses make informed, environmental decisions, such as siting solar farms.

However, the power-hungry requirements for training and running AI models add substantial loads on Google's cloud infrastructure.

The same infrastructure supports widely used services like YouTube and Search, further intensifying energy consumption and water use just to maintain AI operations.“Google Earth has democratised geospatial information for a wide range of users and use cases. It renders a 3D representation of Earth, allowing people to explore our planet from endless vantage points,” says Kate Brandt, Chief Sustainability Officer at Google.

“Businesses utilise its layers to analyse potential renewable energy sites and with new Gemini capabilities, they can ask questions, analyse land data and make informed decisions faster when siting a solar farm.”

Rising emissions vs climate commitments

Between 2019 and 2023, emissions from Google’s data centres rose by 48%.

Although the rise could be attributed to expanded operations and increased cloud demand, much of it ties directly to AI workloads.

Google’s prominent role as a leader in climate innovation is under scrutiny because critics argue that AI growth hampers sustainability progress.

“Google’s AI ambitions are incompatible with its climate goals,” says Fieke Jansen, a researcher at the University of Amsterdam’s DATACTIVE project. 

“You cannot continue to grow your emissions and claim to be on a path to sustainability.”

The transparency gap

A critical issue is the insufficient transparency regarding the environmental impact of AI systems.

While Google does publish sustainability reports, these often lack detailed breakdowns of energy and water consumption for specific AI models, a concern that becomes increasingly critical as AI becomes deeply entrenched in Google’s operations.

Without comprehensive and disaggregated reporting, validating AI’s environmental impact is challenging.

“Without disaggregated reporting, there’s no way to verify the impact of AI specifically,” says Fieke. 

“That makes accountability nearly impossible.”

This issue is not isolated to Google and reflects a broader industry trend where AI’s ecological footprint is obscured in generalized environmental reporting.

Water scarcity and local impact

Beyond energy usage, water consumption is another considerable challenge.

Google's data centres, essential for AI model operations, rely heavily on water to prevent overheating.
In 2021, Google’s data centres used 5.6 billion gallons of water globally. 

This reliance strains local water supplies, particularly in locations prone to drought.

Such sustainability challenges highlight the necessity for balance between AI growth and local ecological impacts.

Sustainable AI

Despite these challenges, the tech industry, including Google, is taking steps towards more sustainable AI development.

Google DeepMind, for instance, is actively working on improving model efficiency to address these sustainability concerns.

This includes refining AI architectures, reducing training redundancies and optimising energy use through smarter scheduling, contributing to the concept of “green AI”.

“There is no doubt that AI has enormous potential to help solve global sustainability challenges,” says Fieke. 

“But the way it’s currently being scaled raises serious questions about whether the solution is becoming part of the problem.”

Industry-wide reckoning

As major tech firms like Microsoft, Meta and Amazon integrate AI technologies, they face similar pressures to meet environmental commitments and mitigate digital expansion’s ecological impact.

The future of AI, both in terms of technological innovation and environmental responsibility, remains an evolving narrative.

It depends on how well tech companies can balance rapid innovation against ecological sustainability and accountability, particularly in transparent reporting and tangible energy efficiency improvements.

With the right frameworks, transparency and commitment to energy efficiency, it is possible to scale innovation responsibly. 

If companies like Google hope to maintain credibility as climate leaders, they must urgently address the sustainability trade-offs of their AI strategies.

As Fieke warns: “Tech companies can’t rely on offsetting or distant targets. They need to prove their models are sustainable now.”

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