Leveraging AI and advanced computing to mitigate accelerated climate change

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is one of the main tools we have left in the battle against climate change; however, its exponential power has also become an accelerant. AI requires vast computing power which burns through energy and accelerates climate change. The good news is that we already have advanced computing technologies that are primed to execute tasks more efficiently than AI. With advanced computing, we can slow the creep of climate change. Quantum Computing is superior to AI in drug discovery, while Photonics, or so-called optical computing, uses laser-produced light to send information, which is much more energy-efficient than most other computing technologies. Neuromorphic computers, on the other hand, are modeled on those in the human brain and nervous system and are able to replicate the analog nature of the neural system. They perform computations that are more energy-efficient. Developing and applying these innovations are imperative if we are to apply the brakes on climate change.