Ahead of COP29, which is scheduled to be held in Azerbaijan, a gathering in Abu Dhabi will discuss the potential of artificial intelligence in addressing climate change.

In a letter published on the global commentary website Project Syndicate, Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, COP28 President and UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and special envoy for climate change, mentioned that the event will explore AI’s energy consumption challenges (“thirst for electricity”) and its potential to mitigate emissions.

The Change Makers Majlis, to be attended by business leaders, policymakers, investors, and representatives from civil society, will take place in November.

Al Jaber wrote, “As we move to implementation, the world must leave no stone unturned to accelerate progress. Specifically, that means embracing artificial intelligence, which promises to have a far-reaching, transformational impact on the energy transition and is projected to add $7 trillion to global gross domestic product over the next 10 years.”

He adds that AI can help redesign industrial processes, boost transport systems, enhance energy efficiency, and minimize emissions. However, the challenge lies in its energy consumption, which places additional stress on an already-stretched power system,” Al Jaber noted. Emissions from the largest AI firms have increased by about 30% since 2019, but the demand for power from data centers could grow by 160% by 2030.

“These new operations could consume as much electricity as Canada, implying a doubling of carbon dioxide emissions. Bridging this gap will be difficult, as no single energy source is currently capable of meeting such a huge leap in demand,” he wrote.

Cooperation is key in addressing the solution to this conundrum, which will be a focus of the Change Makers Majlis in Abu Dhabi in November, where AI and the energy transition will be deliberated.

“By building a bridge between energy and AI, we can help realize the UAE Consensus and, in doing so, take advantage of the greatest economic opportunity since the First Industrial Revolution,” said Al Jaber.