The Environmental Impact of the use of Artificial Intelligence and its Implications for the Sustainable Development Goals

Through an exploratory documentary study, this article identifies and analyzes some of the environmental implications of artificial intelligence (AI) and their possible repercussions through the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is argued that the physical infrastructure supporting AI, the intensive use of computational power required by machine learning (ML), and the training processes of complex models, demand energy resources for their development, operation, and maintenance, and have direct consequences for the environment. Initially, AI and its possible environmental impacts are explored, together with the relevance of analyzing them from the perspective of the SDGs. Next, the foundations, functioning, uses, training processes, and energy requirements of AI are addressed in order to understand the environmental implications derived from its development and application. Subsequently, specific impacts related to energy consumption, carbon footprint, the territorial footprint of data centres, water consumption, and the use of material resources are presented. Finally, the environmental repercussions of AI are assessed from the perspective of the SDGs, leading to the discussion section, in which the challenges, scope, and effects that the creation, development, and use of AI imply for the environment are addressed.