The government is pushing rapid AI adoption across public services, but there’s a problem: AI is terrible for the environment.
The numbers are staggering. Data centres could use 12% of US electricity by 2028. A single AI search uses ten times more energy than a normal Google search. AI also guzzles vast amounts of water to cool servers – straining supplies in already water-scarce regions – and creates mountains of toxic electronic waste containing mercury and lead.
For UNISON members fighting for greener workplaces, this creates a real conflict. How can we support environmental action while our services rapidly adopt these environmentally destructive tools? What should workplace organisations be doing about it?
Join Tom Hegarty from Foxglove and Kate Jones, UNISON’s AI Policy Lead, to discuss the environmental impact of AI in public services – and what we can do about it.