Latest news with #AIResponsibility
Zawya
4 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
4 solutions for companies to overcome the hidden costs of AI
The hidden cost of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is fast becoming the next frontier in corporate accountability. As the technology continues to expand rapidly, without urgent intervention, its environmental footprint could outpace the very benefits it promises. Claire Bradbury, sustainability lead for Accenture, Africa says AI is expanding rapidly, and without urgent intervention, its environmental footprint could outpace the very benefits it promises. She offers four solutions (Image supplied) AI is no longer just a tool for progress — it's fast becoming a test of responsibility. As South African companies race to harness artificial intelligence for innovation and growth, few are asking the most critical question: at what environmental cost? Behind every breakthrough model lies a surge in electricity demand, water use, and carbon emissions — realities that can no longer be dismissed as side effects. A new problem This is not a future problem. It's a now problem. In a country already grappling with grid instability and water scarcity, South African boardrooms can't afford to treat AI sustainability as an afterthought. If we're serious about building a digital future, we must ensure it's one the planet can sustain. Across the globe, generative AI is expanding at a blistering pace, bringing with it massive compute demands, energy surges, and water-intensive data centres. Our latest research estimates that by 2030, AI workloads could consume more than 600 terawatt-hours of electricity annually. That's equivalent to the energy used by hundreds of millions of homes. More troubling still, the water required to cool data centres especially in regions that already face water scarcity could reach crisis levels. In South Africa, we are already living with the twin pressures of unreliable electricity and severe water stress. And yet, local enterprises are racing to adopt AI without asking the crucial question: how sustainable is this growth? The uncomfortable reality The uncomfortable reality is that if we don't course-correct now, AI will push us closer to climate instability even as it helps us solve other problems. It's the ultimate contradiction using a future-forward tool with a 20th-century energy model. That contradiction must be resolved. And it starts with accountability. Every South African organisation that embraces AI must do so with full visibility into the environmental cost and a commitment to minimising it. 4 solutions Fortunately, the solutions are within reach. - Smarter silicon New computer architectures like Processing-In-Memory (PIM) and Compute-In-Memory (CIM) can dramatically reduce the energy intensity of AI operations. Instead of constantly shuttling data between memory and processing units, an energy-hungry exercise, these chips perform computation directly within memory, cutting power consumption significantly. That's not a tech detail. That's a sustainability breakthrough. - Geography of your data. AI workloads must be located where clean, affordable energy is available. That might mean shifting some operations to regions with high solar penetration or hydro capacity. In South Africa, we can't afford to run advanced AI models on coal-fired power. It's inefficient, it's expensive, and it's reputationally risky. The next generation of competitive advantage will come from clean compute. - Design discipline Too many organisations fall into the trap of experimentation for its own sake running endless AI model iterations that consume resources without yielding proportional value. It's time to apply restraint. Use AI where it matters. Train models with purpose. Avoid redundant data cycles. This is about thoughtful innovation, not performative digitalism. - Governance Sustainability in AI cannot be a bolt-on consideration. It must be written into the code. That means deploying governance-as-code frameworks that automate sustainability guardrails, monitor energy thresholds in real-time, and flag violations before they spiral. It means giving your IT and sustainability teams a common language and the tools to enforce it. Sustainable digital transformation South African companies have an opportunity indeed, a responsibility to lead in the design of responsible AI. Our energy grid is fragile. Our climate is under strain. Our water resources are finite. But we also have some of the world's most creative technologists, a growing green finance movement, and an emerging generation of sustainability-savvy consumers. We can be the continent that shows how to scale AI responsibly, equitably, and profitably. The AI decisions we make in the next 24 months will determine whether we lock in a high-carbon future or build the foundation for sustainable digital transformation. That's the fork in the road. South African businesses must partner with experts who understand both sides of the equation, innovation and impact. Because only those who balance the promise of AI with the principles of sustainability will be truly future-ready. All rights reserved. © 2022. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Telegraph
02-06-2025
- General
- Telegraph
It was ChatGPT, says Italian who ‘hoped Meloni's daughter would meet same fate as murder victim'
An Italian teacher who called for Giorgia Meloni 's eight-year-old daughter to be murdered has blamed ChatGPT for his online post. Stefano Addeo, 65, who teaches German in a school near Naples, caused fury at the weekend when he wrote on social media that he hoped Ginevra, the Italian prime minister's daughter, would 'meet the same fate' as a 14-year-old girl who was recently allegedly murdered by her jilted boyfriend. The post was condemned across the political spectrum, with opposition MPs as well as members of the governing coalition saying it was unacceptable. He is now under investigation by the authorities for inciting hatred. Mr Addeo attempted on Monday to justify the message, saying that it had been created by the artificial intelligence chatbot, albeit at his request. He told the La Repubblica newspaper: 'It wasn't me, it was artificial intelligence. I saw on television on Friday that the government was not distancing itself from the war in Israel. I asked ChatGTP to create a message critical of Meloni. This crazy thing emerged and I posted it.' Asked why he had not taken a moment to reflect on the gravity of the post, he said: 'I just wanted to post something. ChatGTP is more harmful than you think. I'm a Catholic, I'm in favour of animal rights, I'm a vegetarian. 'I'm on the Left but that does not excuse this type of message. I've had to cancel all my social media platforms, the consequences have been really ugly. I've had to shut myself away at home. 'People are throwing tomatoes at my front door. I have been depicted as a monster. I'm really shocked – people are issuing threats against me. I did a really stupid thing.' He said furore over the incident meant he had been harangued in the streets of his home town. The teacher, who has no children and lives with his 90-year-old mother, said that if he had the opportunity to meet the prime minister, he would apologise. 'I would hug her, asking her forgiveness. I wish only the best for her daughter, although I would advise her to be careful about social media,' he said. But it has emerged he has also posted messages threatening the children of other members of the Right-wing coalition – Matteo Salvini, the transport minister and head of the League party, and Antonio Tajani, the foreign minister and a former European commissioner. 'This is intolerable – you can attack me, but not my daughter,' said Mr Salvini. The teacher's social media post was a reference to the horrific case of Martina Carbonaro, a 14-year-old schoolgirl who was beaten to death with a rock a few days ago, allegedly by her 18-year-old ex-boyfriend. He was allegedly furious that she had ended their relationship. After attacking her, he attempted to hide her body beneath rubbish and debris in an abandoned farmhouse near the town of Afragola, north of Naples, it was reported. Ms Meloni, who is halfway into her five-year term as premier, has decried what she called a 'sick climate' in Italian political discourse. She said that threats made against her and her young daughter represent 'a spiral of hatred fed by an ideological fanaticism that has exceeded every limit. No political differences or ideological cause can ever justify attacks on children'.
