Biodiversity what direct risks does AI pose to the climate and environment?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly being embedded into the daily functioning of sectors from healthcare to finance, agriculture and environmental management. While it has the potential to support climate action and biodiversity conservation, unmitigated growth in AI use poses significant ethical and direct climate and environmental risks. These direct risks primarily stem from the significant infrastructure needed to build and operate AI systems, including energy and water-intensive data centres and critical mineral extraction. Importantly, the use of AI can also directly cause environmental harm.