During a moderated Q&A, Melanie Nakagawa and Jennifer Rexford discussed the increasing importance of sustainability in organizational operations and how companies like Microsoft are approaching the global energy transition during the rise of AI. (Photos by Tori Repp / Fotobuddy)
The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) poses both opportunities and risks for the clean energy transition, speakers agreed at the Andlinger Center’s thirteenth annual meeting.
Titled “Energy for AI and AI for Energy,” the October 29 conference convened experts from industry, academia, and the public sector to explore the double-edged sword of AI. On one hand, the energy consumption from AI and its associated data centers will exacerbate challenges to already struggling clean energy ambitions. On the other, AI’s ability to quickly process and react to unprecedented amounts of data will unlock new ways of approaching energy and climate challenges, allowing people to access information and complete tasks at speeds previously seen as impossible.
“AI is influencing nearly every academic discipline — frankly, nearly every human endeavor,” said Jennifer Rexford, Princeton’s provost and the Gordon Y. S. Wu Professor in Engineering, during the day’s welcoming remarks. “This event is part of the conversation about how Princeton is advancing AI research to solve major societal challenges, including climate change.”
