Al Gore says the real AI risk isn’t data centers

Al Gore has spent more than two decades as one of the most recognizable voices in the climate movement, so when he talks about AI, it’s worth paying attention to what he considers truly scary, and it isn’t what has people protesting data centers in the streets. In an interview, Gore said emissions from AI data centers aren’t what should keep people up at night, despite mounting opposition over their environmental impacts. What should concern people more, in his view, are the warnings coming from inside the AI industry itself. He noted that if you look at the emissions of all AI data centers put together, it’s only a fraction of the emissions from uncovered landfills, adding that a comparable build-out is tied to something getting far less attention: air conditioning. With global air conditioning expected to triple its electricity demand by 2050, it will put far more pressure on the grid than AI data centers. However, Gore remains deeply concerned that some hyperscalers are jumping into new methane turbines to power their workloads.