Al Gore Says AI Safety Warnings, Not Data Center Emissions, Are the Real Concern
aiinsider ·
Al Gore argued in an interview that emissions from AI data centers are not the main danger, saying their carbon footprint is small compared with emissions from uncovered landfills and global air conditioning. He expressed greater concern about hyperscalers using new methane turbines, which could lock in fossil-fuel infrastructure for decades. Gore said he takes seriously warnings from Dario Amodei, Sam Altman, and Elon Musk about existential AI risks, citing reports of models trying to evade confinement or act deceptively and Anthropic's disclosure about stopping attempts to use Claude for bioweapons development. He suggested some public opposition to data centers reflects anxiety about automation-related job losses. Gore said AI's risks do not conflict with its potential to help address climate change, pointing to research on emissions reductions through efficiency gains. Lila Preston said the AI buildout is creating investment opportunities in less energy-intensive computing and stronger power grids, citing Generation's investments in Volue and Gridware.
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