Overview
- The analysis, released during the AI Impact Summit in Delhi and authored by Ketan Joshi for groups including Beyond Fossil Fuels, Stand.earth and Friends of the Earth, evaluated climate‑benefit claims from Google, Microsoft and the IEA.
- Only 26% of the statements cited published academic research, 36% offered no evidence, and many relied on corporate materials without primary, peer‑reviewed support.
- The review reports no material, verifiable examples where consumer generative systems such as ChatGPT, Gemini or Copilot delivered substantial emissions reductions.
- A frequently repeated estimate that AI could cut 5–10% of global emissions by 2030 traces to a 2021 BCG blog post referenced by Google; Google defended its methodology, Microsoft declined to comment and the IEA did not respond.
- Independent forecasts foresee rising electricity demand from data centers driven by generative AI, with BloombergNEF projecting U.S. data‑center power use reaching about 8.6% by 2035 and the IEA expecting a significant share of rich‑world demand growth.