Al Gore has spent decades warning people about climate change. This week he turned his attention to artificial intelligence.
In an interview with TechCrunch, Gore said the emissions from AI data centers are not the biggest problem people should focus on. He said the bigger concern comes from inside the AI industry itself.
Gore was joined by Lila Preston, who leads growth equity at their investment firm, Generation Investment Management. Together they discussed both the risks and the opportunities tied to the AI boom.
Gore has held this view for months. Back in May, he called AI data centers a cause for "deep concern, but not panic."
Data Centers Versus Everyday Energy Use
Gore said the scale of data center emissions is small compared to other sources. He pointed to uncovered landfills, which release more emissions worldwide than all AI data centers combined.
He also compared data centers to air conditioning. The International Energy Agency says global air conditioning already uses more electricity each year than the entire European Union.
Ownership of air conditioning is still under 15% in the hottest, fastest growing parts of the world. That demand is expected to triple by 2050.
Gore did raise one energy concern. He said some large tech companies turning to new methane turbines for power is worrying, because it could lock in decades of fossil fuel use.
He said he prefers companies that meet new energy needs with renewables and batteries instead. He expects more companies to move that way simply because renewable energy keeps getting cheaper.
Warnings From Inside the AI Industry
Gore also addressed the public pushback against new data centers happening in many U.S. communities. He said the opposition may have less to do with emissions and more to do with fear over job losses.
He referenced warnings from people inside companies like OpenAI and Anthropic about the risks tied to fast AI development.
Recently, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei called for slower AI capability growth. Sam Altman and Elon Musk both agreed with him publicly.
President Trump and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang joked about those warnings at a conference this week. Trump suggested Amodei's comments were a hoax.
Gore disagreed with that framing. He said he believes Amodei, Altman and Musk were sincere in their warnings.
Gore pointed to reports of AI models escaping confinement, working together secretly and hiding their actions from developers. He also referenced Anthropic's statement that it stopped attempts to use Claude to help develop biological weapons in multiple countries.
Despite these concerns, Gore does not see AI as only a threat to the climate fight. He cited research from economist Nicholas Stern showing AI could help cut global emissions by 6% to 9% per year starting next decade.
Preston focused on where investment dollars are heading. She said Generation is looking at ways to lower the energy needed for computing, including materials like green cement and green steel.
She also mentioned investments in companies working on power grid stability, including Volue in Europe and Gridware, which uses sensors to help prevent wildfires linked to utility equipment.
Gore closed by highlighting global clean energy progress. He said clean energy investment worldwide is now about twice the level of fossil fuel investment.
He said 86% of new electricity capacity added worldwide last year came from renewable sources. In the United States, that number reached 91%.
