The next great leap in global living standards will be driven by the quiet noise of servers, algorithms, and data centers. Although the first artificial intelligence was released to the market just three years ago, AI is already becoming the operating system of the modern economy. This applies not only to governments deploying AI in service delivery, but also to consumers. Approximately 1 in 8 people around the world now use AI tools every month. The UAE is one of the most enthusiastic adopters in the world, with more than 60% of working-age adults in the country using AI tools on a regular basis.
The possibilities for such a revolution are compelling: more efficient business, more effective public services, smarter infrastructure, better healthcare, safer cities, faster scientific discoveries. Less discussed but equally important is the energy required to propel it all forward.
Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Managing Director and Chairman of Masdar, captured this truth in his opening keynote speech at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week on Tuesday. “For the first time in history,” Dr. Al Jaber said.[economic growth] It is measured by computational and digital capabilities… Simply put, without real energy there is no artificial intelligence. ”
For governments, this poses a policy challenge. The potential benefits of AI cannot be realized without facing the problem of energy scarcity. Global power demand for data centers, critical to the development and deployment of AI, is expected to increase fivefold over the next 15 years. In the long term, there is near-universal agreement that the solution is abundant energy from renewable sources, albeit to a more limited extent at present. But just getting there will require increasingly more sophisticated and resource-intensive technologies, so a pragmatic approach is required.
The potential benefits of AI cannot be realized without facing the problem of energy scarcity.
While there has long been a temptation to frame sustainability as a binary choice between renewable energy and hydrocarbons, the reality is more complex. As Dr. Al Jaber pointed out, by 2040 more than 70 percent of the world’s energy needs will still be met by hydrocarbons. Given this unavoidable truth, we need to think more globally about how to improve our hydrocarbon infrastructure to be cleaner and more efficient so that it can effectively drive the major changes needed for a sustainable future.
Renewable energy should and will continue to grow as a proportion of the global energy mix. Solar, wind, and nuclear power are essential for decarbonization, energy security, and the long-term health of our planet (and of our planet). Policy makers in developed and developing countries alike therefore need to hold on to their aspirations while honestly planning the path to achieving them.
The UAE’s own experience in building one of the world’s largest solar power plants while expanding nuclear capacity, in addition to carbon capture and reducing methane emissions, shows what progress can be made through ambition, focus and investment. However, in this region and in many parts of the world, if we are to fully commit to progress without compromising grid stability, we need a transition to sustainability driven by hydrocarbons deployed more efficiently and with lower carbon intensity. The real risk is not realism, but rather paralysis due to idealism and fear of the unknown.
AI can do much for humanity, including in terms of sustainability, such as cleaner air, more resilient infrastructure, and scientific advances to enable a future of abundant energy. But driving that future requires a smart, responsible and bold approach.
