A United Nations report warns that artificial intelligence could consume 3% of the world's electricity by 2030, threatening to overwhelm local power grids and generate massive electronic waste. More InformationFeatured:Professor Dasmin de Silva, Co-director of La Trobe University's AI InstituteTristan Edis, Director, Green Energy MarketsBelinda Dennett, Chief Executive Officer, Data Centres AustraliaCreditsOliver Gordon, AuthorImage DetailsUN report warns of AI energy and environmental toll.Program:More from AMTranscriptMelissa Clarke: A UN report has found careful planning is needed by governments so that energy-hungry data centres don't cripple local power systems. Oliver Gordon reports.Oliver Gordon: Artificial intelligence has become the defining technology of what this UN report calls the fourth industrial revolution. But as AI systems integrate into the world's economies, the environment will pay a price.Dasmin de Silva: So there is a cost to the benefits we are seeing.Oliver Gordon: Professor Dasman de Silva is co-director of La Trobe University's AI Institute.Dasmin de Silva: We can see the energy, water and land usage and also the downstream effects of this resource consumption having a net sort of negative effect.Oliver Gordon: The report by the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health suggests training AI models is particularly energy intensive. It found the electricity required to train Chat GPT-5 was roughly equal to the annual residential usage of 770,000 people in sub-Saharan Africa. And it estimates the associated water use was one billion litres. Professor de Silva again.Dasmin de Silva: This is a challenge that data centre construction or operation has to overcome.Oliver Gordon: The UN report suggests that by 2030 data centres will use 3% of the world's electricity. In Australia, investment in data centres is buoying a slow economy and tech leaders want to see the country host more key AI infrastructure. But Green Energy Markets Director Tristan Edis urges caution, calling on the federal government to ensure they're built near abundant renewable energy infrastructure.Tristan Edis: The longer we wait, we're ensuring we can create these new renewable energy zones co-located with or aligned with data centres, then the longer the data centres are going to have to wait.Oliver Gordon: The UN report highlights Ireland as a place where data centre construction took off, eventually eating up 20% of the country's power. Tristan Edis says there are lessons in Ireland's experience for Australia.Tristan Edis: Make sure that you're coordinating the construction of new power supply infrastructure with the additional data centre demand.Oliver Gordon: In March, the federal government outlined its expectations of AI companies, stating new data centres should not place upward pressure on energy prices. Belinda Dennett is the Chief Executive Officer for Data Centres Australia.Belinda Dennett: Data centre operators in Australia have no interest in pushing up people's household power bills and are quite committed to make sure that doesn't happen.Melissa Clarke: Belinda Dennett from Data Centres Australia. Oliver Gordon with that report. Appears In US proposes slavery tariff on Australian exportsDuration: 20 minutes 19 seconds20m 6itemsIn this episode1 of 6Labor set to pass tax changesDuration: 11 minutes 28 seconds11m 2 of 6Trump announces new tariff planDuration: 3 minutes 7 seconds3m 7s3 of 6Labor resists calls for cut to tobacco excise Duration: 4 minutes 12 seconds4m 12s4 of 6Report into how AI reshapes workDuration: 3 minutes 39 seconds3m 39s5 of 6PlayingUN report warns of AI energy and environmental tollDuration: 2 minutes 49 seconds2m 49s6 of 6Tourism operators want marine park protectionsDuration: 3 minutes 1 second3m 1s