COP31: New initiative targets AI and reliable climate change information

New guidance has been issued to ensure that people everywhere can obtain credible climate change information from artificial intelligence (AI) and understand how the technology impacts the environment.

The Priorities for Action on AI and Climate Information Integrity were launched at the COP31 climate conference in Antalya, Türkiye, on Friday by the Global Initiative for Information Integrity on Climate Change , which is co-chaired by the United Nations, its scientific agency UNESCO and Brazil.

“ The question isn't simply whether AI is good or bad for the climate. It’s whether people can rely on what they’re told by AI and about it ,” said Charlotte Scaddan, Information Integrity Senior Advisor with the UN Department of Global Communications.

Although more people are turning to AI for climate information, the co-chairs note that the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI – established last year by the UN General Assembly – has warned that “ producing fluent text is easier than producing factual text ” for the revolutionary tech.

Moreover, risks can increase during climate disasters, when AI-generated images and videos can spread faster than official warnings. Meanwhile, the general public is asked to accept claims about AI’s own climate impact while lacking the necessary data to evaluate its effect on the environment.

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