Google, Microsoft, and Amazon have long touted the need to reduce the use of fossil fuels. These tech companies, along with their bought-and-paid-for neo-liberal politicians, led many of us to believe that big tech’s AI is the hero we need to save us from climate disaster.
Times have changed. Shareholders want more. The Wall Street Journal and Gizmodo have reported that these three companies are deeply invested with the fossil fuel industry, attempting “to help them squeeze as much oil and gas out of the ground as possible,” and they’re using artificial intelligence to do that.
Remember when Google got too big and too pragmatic for that silly “Don’t be evil” phrase for their code of conduct?
In 2018, the oil and gas industries spent an estimated $1.75 billion on AI — a sum that is projected to balloon to $4 billion by 2025. To get their piece of that pie, big tech companies are developing AI for oil companies, even as they publicly celebrate their sustainable initiatives.
Adam Cole, Vox
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