How are environmental non-governmental organizations setting the agenda on artificial intelligence governance?

Big AI firms advocate for permissive regulations in artificial intelligence (AI) upscaling, while disguising energy and climate costs. As a counterpoint, I map emerging agenda-setting efforts on AI governance from environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGOs) regarding energy and climate issues, through thematic and network analyses of recent reports supplemented by personnel interviews. First-movers include hybrid organizations combining digital and environmental interests and international ENGO branches driven by technology-oriented personnel. Nevertheless, there is a piecemeal but collectively coherent playbook regarding AI risk and governance. Reports deploy ‘justice’ as a bridge between digital, energy, and climate movements. Key contexts include the erosion of safeguards to power concentration in Big AI, expanding extractivism, and constraints on civic activism. Personnel explore links between internal AI usage protocols and external campaigning, and emphasize that the ENGO sector must resist being divided and conquered while coalition-building in AI governance.