The Priorities for Action on AI and Climate Information Integrity were launched at the COP31 climate conference in Antalya, Türkiye, on Friday by the Global Initiative for Information Integrity on Climate Change, which is co-chaired by the United Nations, its scientific agency UNESCO and Brazil.
“The question isn’t simply whether AI is good or bad for the climate. It’s whether people can rely on what they’re told by AI and about it,” said Charlotte Scaddan, Information Integrity Senior Advisor, UN Global Communications.
Focus on facts
Although more people are turning to AI for climate information, the co-chairs note that the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI – established last year by the UN General Assembly – has warned that “producing fluent text is easier than producing factual text” for the revolutionary tech.
Moreover, risks can increase during climate disasters, when AI-generated images and videos can spread faster than official warnings. Meanwhile, the general public is asked to accept claims about AI’s own climate impact while lacking the necessary data to evaluate its effect on the environment.
The global Priorities seek to uphold accountability and transparency.
They call for AI companies to assess how their systems affect climate information integrity, to publish their findings and disclose their energy use and carbon, water and land footprints.
At the same time, States are urged to integrate information integrity into national AI strategies and climate plans.
The Priorities are grounded in human rights and build on the Belém Declaration on Information Integrity on Climate Change, launched during COP30 last year in Brazil, and the UN Global Principles for Information Integrity.
The partners in the Global Initiative called for greater investment in the information people use to understand and act on climate change. So far, Germany has committed more than $2.2 million to support research, develop communication strategies and undertake public awareness campaigns.
Friday also marked the launch of the Charter for Climate Information Integrity in Advertising which seeks to address problems such as “monetization of disinformation and denial”, said Jake Dubbins, co-founder of the Conscious Advertising Network.
The charter calls for transparency across the advertising supply chain to ensure that advertisers have visibility of ad placements while respecting user privacy.
COP31 is focused around 10 priority themes, including clean energy transition and electrification, zero waste and climate-resilient cities. The conference concludes on 20 November.
