Techspot: Advocacy groups urge Biden to address generative AI’s environmental impact and misinformation risks 

Back in October, the Biden administration attempted to address the difficult issue of regulating artificial intelligence development with an executive order signed by the president that promised to manage the technology’s risks. The order covers many areas, including AI’s impact on jobs, privacy, security, and more. It also mentions using AI to improve the national grid and review environmental studies to help combat climate change. 

Seventeen groups, including Greenpeace USA, the Tech Oversight Project, Friends of the Earth, Amazon Employees for Climate Justice, and the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), wrote in an open letter to Biden that the executive order does not do enough to address the technology’s environmental impact, both literally and through misinformation. 

“… due to their enormous energy requirements and the carbon footprint associated with their growth and proliferation, the widespread use of LLMs can increase carbon emissions,” the letter states. 

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