"From today's vantage point, some of the corporate claims floating around back then sound patently absurd: Google insisted that AI had the potential to "mitigate 5-10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions," while Microsoft enthused that the new tech would "accelerate the discovery and development of sustainability solutions." Even academics played along. Jim Bellingham of Johns Hopkins' Institute for Assured Autonomy claimed that "AI-powered robots" and satellites would form part of a system helping to "reduce the carbon that is released into the atmosphere.""
"Not only are electrical demands of data centers supercharging our carbon emissions, but the technology itself is now being used to actively resist climate regulations. According to new reporting by the Los Angeles Times, an eco-friendly initiative to phase out the use of gas-powered appliances in Southern California was defeated thanks to a campaign weaponizing a suite of AI software."
"According to records requests, more than 20,000 public comments directed at AQMD's initiative were drummed up via CiviClick. As the initiative proceeded through AQMD's board in summer of 2025, the agency became inundated with tens of thousands of seemingly organic emails voicing opposition to the regulations. As the LA Times notes, the flood of angry public comments got a significant boost from CiviClick, an AI platform which bills itself as a "Disruptive Digital Advocacy Software.""
Late in 2023 corporate claims touted AI's potential to cut greenhouse gases and accelerate sustainability discoveries, and academics predicted AI-powered robots and satellites would reduce atmospheric carbon. Actual developments have diverged: rising electrical loads from data centers are increasing carbon emissions, and AI tools are being used to oppose climate policy. A Southern California effort to phase out natural-gas water heaters and furnaces aimed to curb nitrogen-oxide smog emissions but was defeated after tens of thousands of opposition comments flooded the regulator. Records link more than 20,000 of those public comments to CiviClick, an AI advocacy platform that promoted mass digital opposition.
Read at Futurism
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