Using data analytics – and, ironically, some artificial intelligence – a team at Cornell University has mapped the environmental impact of AI by state. They published their results in the journal Nature Sustainability this week.

They determined that, by 2030, the rate of AI growth in the U.S. would put an additional 24 to 44 million metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The team further calculated that by 2030, AI could use as much water as 6 to 10 millions Americans do every year. All of this, they conclude, would put the tech industry's climate goals out of reach.

As previously reported on Short Wave , Google, Microsoft and Meta have all pledged to reach net zero carbon emissions and to be water positive by 2030. Amazon has set their net zero carbon deadline for 20

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