Google pledges to no longer build AIs for the fossil fuel industryhttps://artificialintelligence-news.com/2020/05/22/google-no-longer-build-ai-fossil-fuel-industry/Google has pledged to no longer build AIs for the fossil fuel industry as it further distances itself from controversial developments.
A report from Greenpeace earlier this month exposed Google as being one of the top three developers of AI tools for the fossil fuel industry. Greenpeace found AI technologies boost production levels by as much as five percent.
In an interview with CUBE’s John Furrier, the leader of Google’s CTO office, Will Grannis, said that Google will “no longer develop artificial intelligence (AI) software and tools for oil and gas drilling operations.â€
>snip<
While Google Cloud’s revenue from the oil and gas industry was declining, the public’s intolerance towards big polluters is increasing. The reputational damage caused to Google of continuing its relationship with polluters would likely have been more costly over the long-term.
Ahem. Just one thing to note. While oil and gas operations generate some well inspected and scrutinized pollution, it is the public which generates the exhaust every time it starts a car, rides a bus, buys something that came in by truck, boat, barge, or rail, (not to mention air freight).
Ironic, I know, that the "public" is the bigger polluter here.