The Download: empty AI climate claims, and an Nvidia investigation

This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.

Opinion: The climate case for AI has not been made

—By Mary Nichols, distinguished counsel at the UCLA School of Law and the former chair of the California Air Resources Board, and Jeremy Tamanini, the founder of Dual Citizen, a sustainability research and advisory firm

This week, as countries meet in Antalya, Turkey for the United Nations climate conference, one topic is likely to dominate the conversation: artificial intelligence. The host has already called on countries to commit to ensuring that AI is designed, powered, and deployed in ways that support climate action.

But so far, industries around the world aren’t doing nearly enough to harness the technology to actually drive down the greenhouse-gas emissions heating up the planet. AI companies like to make very optimistic claims about AI’s potential to help address climate change. …