The Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Summit has launched a global initiative aimed at building a global community of stakeholders to contribute to aligning AI development with the SDGs and foster responsible AI that supports environmental policies. The Coalition for Sustainable AI unites its members and supporters behind a shared vision, “to support [their] collective efforts to address environmental challenges, while securing a sustainable legacy for future generations.”
Initiated by France, in collaboration with the UN Environmental Programme (UNEP), the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), and partners, the Coalition for Sustainable AI was launched on 11 February 2025, bringing together more than 100 partners, including 37 tech companies, 11 countries, and five international organizations. It seeks to respond to the “dual challenges” faced by sustainable AI – “unlocking and leveraging its capabilities to address global [environmental] crises, while better understanding and mitigating its environmental footprint.”
According to a UNEP press release, AI can help tackle some of the world’s biggest environmental challenges, including, for example, by mapping the dredging of sand or charting emissions of methane. At the same time, there is “a negative side to the explosion of AI and its associated infrastructure, including the electronic waste produced – and high levels of electricity and water consumed.” The Coalition “aims to build sustainable AI into the global discussion in much the same way AI security or AI ethics are studied.”
The Coalition seeks to increase the visibility of AI issues, foster collaboration, avoid duplication, and amplify the reach of existing and future initiatives. It welcomes companies, associations, and research institutions as members, and governments and international organizations as supporters.
The Coalition will act as:
- A platform for engagement, to identify and connect stakeholders committed to sustainable AI; and
- An initiatives hub, to promote open-ended, collaborative, and international initiatives that advance science, standards, and solutions for aligning AI with environmental goals.
The Coalition’s goal is to encourage AI initiatives for the planet, including those seeking to decarbonize economies, reduce pollution, preserve biodiversity, protect the oceans, and ensure humanity operates within planetary boundaries.
The AI Action Summit convened in Paris, France, from 10-11 February 2025. Fifty-eight countries, the EU, and the African Union Commission also signed a statement, prioritizing AI that is open, inclusive, transparent, ethical, safe, secure, trustworthy, and sustainable for people and the planet. [Coalition for Sustainable AI Website] [Statement on Inclusive and Sustainable Artificial Intelligence for People and the Planet]