A global pledge for climate good may be a cruel joke about AI’s footprint

A pledge ahead of COP31

Negotiators from more than 190 countries are in Antalya, Turkey, for the annual United Nations climate summit, COP31. Turkey previewed its Antalya Artificial Intelligence Pledge before the meeting and invited other countries to endorse it ahead of its official launch on November 16th.

The pledge addresses the environmental costs of AI, especially the energy demands of data centers. It also calls for internationally recognized standards for responsible AI development and greater transparency about data centers’ effects on the environment.

Voluntary commitments, limited force

The proposal includes measures to encourage data centers to use clean energy and to manage the electronic waste associated with generative AI. But the pledge makes clear that its objectives are voluntary, create no new obligations and depend on each country’s circumstances.

That leaves countries free to decide whether to act on the proposals. The United States, which has more data centers than any other country, has no official delegates at the summit after President Donald Trump withdrew the country from the global climate accord.

Questions about AI’s climate role

The proposal comes as data centers require large amounts of electricity and spur development of fossil fuel infrastructure. The story argues that without binding commitments, the pledge may offer reassurance without addressing those pressures.