AI infrastructure and green transition: assessing the environmental and economic costs and benefits of AI
Artificial Intelligence is the technological (and economic) champion of the past years. Chipmakers and frontier labs are among the most valued companies and investors, firms and workers are all increasingly relying on these technologies. The creation and holding of this data has a massive environmental with macro-financial implications.
While AI offers hope for sustainable solutions, the energy cost of AI training and usage is huge, prompting serious environmental concerns – most pressingly around water and energy usage. These environmental concerns have economic implications: high energy demand pressures and infrastructure needs.
This roundtable addresses how investors and policy-makers should assess AI-related sustainability risks, weighing costs against AI’s potential to support sustainable economic development and climate adaptation.
Speakers
Celine Caira
Economist / Policy Analyst, AI and Emerging Digital Technologies Division
OECD
Celine Caira
Economist / Policy Analyst, AI and Emerging Digital Technologies Division
OECD
Celine Caira is an Economist/Policy Analyst in the Division on AI and Emerging Digital Technologies in the OECD Directorate of Science, Technology and Innovation. Celine leads the coordination of analytical work on AI compute measurement, efficiency and resilience, analysing venture-capital investments in AI start-ups, and conducting AI country reviews. Before joining the OECD, Celine worked as Senior Policy Advisor to the Canadian Federal Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry where she provided strategic policy advice to the Minister on issues including innovation and industrial policy, foreign direct investment, venture capital, intellectual property and the COVID-19 economic recovery. Celine has worked across federal, provincial and municipal governments, NGOs, and several United Nations organisations, including the World Intellectual Property Organization. She holds a certificate from the University of Oxford Saïd Business School, a Master of Public Policy and Governance from the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, and a Bachelor of Arts Honours in Political Science, Economics, and French Language from McGill University.
Miles Parker
Senior Lead Economist
European Central Bank
Miles Parker
Senior Lead Economist
European Central Bank
Miles Parker is a Senior Lead Economist in Directorate General Economics at the European Central Bank. His research focuses on how climate change and extreme weather events affect the economy. Recent research investigates the impact on productivity and inflation, as well as the role of insurance in providing resilience and the economic impact of nature degradation. He has over two decades of experience at central banks. Prior to joining the ECB, he was an Adviser at the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, and a Senior Economist at the Bank of England. He holds a PhD from Victoria University of Wellington and a Master of Science in Economics from the London School of Economics.
Jonathon Smith
Associate Director, Research
Sustainable Fitch
Jonathon Smith
Associate Director, Research
Sustainable Fitch
Jonathon Smith is an Associate Director at Sustainable Fitch, based out of Toronto. In his role, he provides research and analytic coverage of ESG and sustainable finance topics, focusing on market, policy, and regulatory developments in key global regions, including Europe and North America. Prior to joining Fitch, Jonathon was an ESG research manager at Morningstar, covering large-cap energy sector issuers. He holds a MSc in Sustainability Management from the University of Toronto, as well as an undergraduate degree in commerce.