TECH - Bill Gates Dismisses Concerns That Big Tech's Investment In Power-Hungry AI Says It Will Ultimately Offset Higher Energy Use: 'Let's Not Go Overboard' | Benzinga
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates defended the substantial increase in energy consumption due to artificial intelligence systems, asserting that the technology would ultimately offset its high electricity usage.
What Happened: Gates, speaking at the Breakthrough Energy Summit in London, urged environmentalists and governments to not overreact to the significant power needed to operate new generative AI systems, as reported by The Financial Times on Friday.
The Microsoft co-founder highlighted Big Tech’s investments in AI systems, which are expected to drive a 2-6% increase in global electricity usage.
However, Gates believes that AI will accelerate a more than 6% reduction in emissions, especially with the tech industry’s willingness to pay a premium for clean energy. "The tech companies are the people willing to pay a premium and ...