AI's growing appetite for energy and water raises governance questions

A new United Nations report warns that artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming a major consumer of electricity, water, land and critical minerals, creating environmental pressures that extend far beyond the technology sector and forcing governments to confront new questions about infrastructure, resource allocation and environmental governance.

The report, published on Wednesday by the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health, argues the environmental consequences of AI have been significantly underestimated because public debate has focused largely on carbon emissions while overlooking water use, land requirements, supply chains and electronic waste.

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