The global pledge to use AI for climate good is a cruel joke

A nonbinding pledge to reduce AI's environmental impact is being promoted at the UN climate summit, but critics say it lacks substance and is just 'lip service'. The pledge includes measures such as increasing clean energy usage in data centers, setting standards for responsible AI development, and improving transparency into data center emissions. However, these objectives are voluntary and non-binding, and do not create new obligations. This raises concerns that the pledge is not a meaningful commitment to addressing the environmental impact of AI.