Al's Environmental Toll on Asia

Artificial Intelligence is a major industry in Asia's economic plans for the current century and has been heralded as a key technology of the fourth industrial revolution. However, like all major technologies of previous industrial revolutions, the environmental costs are often overlooked. High energy consumption, demands for rare earth elements, and massive water requirements make AI's acceleration an environmentally destructive endeavor, one that Asia will disproportionately suffer from. Given the region's critical role in the global development of AI, it is essential for Asian countries to implement policies that protect their people and environment from unchecked devastation in the name of technological progress.