UK government to invest £4m in AI funding to cut carbon emissions

The UK government is to invest £4 million into artificial intelligence projects aimed at helping industries cut their carbon emissions.

The investment will see 12 green AI initiatives receive a share of £1 million to go towards decarbonising and boosting renewable energy.

The projects range from solar energy improvements that will use AI to improve its forecasting of when it will best produce energy for the grid, to the decarbonisation of dairy farming through the use of AI robots monitoring crop and soil health.

Alongside this, the government will invest £2.25 million into further AI innovations, with the aim of cutting emissions specifically in energy sectors.

“We are unquestionably world-leading when it comes to advanced AI and our track record for decarbonisation,” said the minister for energy efficiency and green finance, Lord Callanan. “This unique position means we must now push the boundaries in how this technology can enhance our rapidly-growing clean energy sector.”

“It’s projects like those announced today that will take us to the next step on our ambitious journey to becoming net zero, while boosting our energy security and creating a new wave of skilled jobs for the future,” Callanan added.

ClimateTech expert Laimonas Noreika, CEO of HeavyFinance commented: “AI is set to play a crucial role in tackling the climate change crisis, yet far too many firms lack the funding and support to fully embrace it.

“This new investment is a step in the right direction from the government and will play a crucial role in helping industries like energy, transport, and agriculture to make the most of the latest technology to decarbonise and go green.”

The government’s Digital Catapult agency, has also received up to £500,000 to launch the UK’s first Centre for Excellence on AI innovation for decarbonisation (ADViCE).

Last month, AI experts gathered at the UN’s AI for Good conference in Geneva to discuss how AI can solve issues such as sustainability.

The global summit, hosted by the UN’s International Telecommunication Union, called on governments and industry alike to take AI and use it to tackle global warming.

“AI development will not wait, the Sustainable Development Goals will not wait, and failure is not an option,” commented the ITU’s secretary-general, Doreen Bogdan-Martin in her keynote speech where she enforced that “we’re running out of time,” when it comes to climate change.