The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine are convening a new roundtable to provide a multidisciplinary forum to foster discussions and coordination around emerging issues related to artificial intelligence and climate change, including ways to mitigate the impacts of AI’s energy consumption and climate effects, as well as AI applications for optimizing energy systems and aiding climate research. It will bring together representatives from academic institutions, federal agencies, national laboratories, the private sector, nongovernmental organizations, and various other groups.  

The roundtable will be chaired by Ann Bostrom, Weyerhaeuser Endowed Professor in Environmental Policy at the University of Washington. Inaugural members include Carla Gomes, director of the Institute of Computational Sustainability and co-director of the AI for Science Institute at Cornell University; Prakhar Mehrotra, senior vice president and head of AI at PayPal; and other experts.  

“AI has strong potential to advance progress on climate change in many areas, but AI systems are also putting heavy demands on the U.S. energy grid and could raise greenhouse gas emissions,” said National Academy of Sciences President Marcia McNutt. “Our new forum will bring together researchers across a range of disciplines, industry experts, and policymakers to explore how to maximize the benefits of AI for addressing climate change while minimizing potential risks.”  

The first public session of the roundtable will take place May 5.  

Reporters with questions should contact Josh Blatt in the National Academies’ Office of News and Public Information; 202-334-2138 or news@nas.edu.

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