Aligning India’s AI future with climate goals

At the recently concluded Conference of Parties (COP)29, a part of the discourse centred on the growing role of digital technologies, particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI), in addressing the climate crisis. While AI offers potential for climate action, from optimising renewable energy grids to enhancing climate modelling, its environmental footprint is also substantial and growing. The recent COP29 Declaration on Green Digital Action, announced on the first ever “digitalisation day” at COP, reflects a growing international recognition of these trade-offs – highlighting the need to align AI trajectories with climate goals. For India, this conversation takes on a particular urgency, as the nation advances its AI ambitions, while striving to meet its climate targets under the Paris Agreement.