Greenpeace says the adoption of AI poses the biggest threat to Apple’s environmental track record, and argues that how the company responds will be the “defining test” of whether it really means what it says.
Apple’s environmental achievements to date have been unrivalled, but the massive data center demands created by Siri AI and other Apple Intelligence features could change all of that …
Greenpeace has praised Apple’s environmental initiatives for more than a decade now. That included a 2015 report on the company’s use of renewable energy to power data centers.
Apple continues to lead the charge in powering its corner of the internet with renewable energy even as it continues to rapidly expand. All three of its data center expansions announced in the past year will be powered with renewable energy. Apple is also having a positive impact on pushing major colocation providers to help it maintain progress toward its 100% renewable energy goal.
Just last year, Greenpeace East Asia gave the company a B+ grade for introducing more renewable energy in its supply chains.
However, as Apple finally launches Siri AI next month, that could all change. While the company aims to carry out as many tasks as possible on-device, it relies on large-scale data centres to perform more complex actions, and these consume a great deal of electricity and water. The Verge cites concerns expressed by Greenpeace spokesperson Avex Li.
“AI will be the defining test of Apple’s climate commitments,” Li says. “To preserve Tim Cook’s environmental legacy, the company will need to show that AI growth can be accommodated within its existing climate commitments through absolute emissions reductions, additional renewable energy investment, and longer-lasting products.”
Apple responded by pointing The Verge to its most recent environmental progress report, as well as past statements on the topic.
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