The impact of artificial intelligence development on embodied carbon emissions: Perspectives from the production and consumption sides

IF 9.3 2区经济学 Q1 ECONOMICS

Energy Policy Pub Date : 2025-02-17 DOI:10.1016/j.enpol.2025.114535

Qingfeng Luo , Jingyuan Wang

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The positive impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on carbon emission issues has been widely discussed, but no research has yet thoroughly examined the specific effects of AI on embedded carbon emissions (ECE). To address this gap, this study examines the impacts and underlying mechanisms of AI development on ECE from both production and consumption perspectives. The results show that AI development significantly reduces carbon emissions on both fronts, with a more noticeable effect on the production side. Specifically, AI has generated significant carbon reduction effects on ECE from both the production and consumption sides by optimizing manufacturing structures, promoting low-carbon energy consumption, and driving green product innovation. Additionally, factors such as strengthened environmental regulations, improved ecological civilization, improved green innovation capacity, and higher renewable energy consumption further strengthen the carbon reduction effects of AI. However, the impact of AI on carbon emissions shows regional heterogeneity. This study offers a new perspective on differentiated carbon governance and equitable allocation of carbon emission responsibilities. It also offers empirical evidence and theoretical insights for policymakers, supporting the effective use of AI technology to achieve carbon reduction goals.

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人工智能发展对隐含碳排放的影响：来自生产和消费端的视角

人工智能（AI）对碳排放问题的积极影响已被广泛讨论，但尚未有研究深入研究人工智能对嵌入式碳排放（ECE）的具体影响。为了解决这一差距，本研究从生产和消费两个角度考察了人工智能发展对欧洲经委会的影响和潜在机制。结果表明，人工智能的发展在这两个方面都显著减少了碳排放，对生产方面的影响更为明显。具体而言，人工智能通过优化制造结构、促进低碳能源消费、推动绿色产品创新，从生产和消费两方面对ECE产生了显著的减碳效应。此外，环境法规的加强、生态文明水平的提高、绿色创新能力的提高、可再生能源消费的提高等因素进一步强化了人工智能的减碳效果。然而，人工智能对碳排放的影响表现出区域异质性。本研究为差别化碳治理和碳排放责任公平分配提供了新的视角。它还为政策制定者提供了经验证据和理论见解，支持有效利用人工智能技术实现碳减排目标。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Energy Policy 管理科学-环境科学

CiteScore

17.30

自引率

5.60%

发文量

540

审稿时长

7.9 months

期刊介绍： Energy policy is the manner in which a given entity (often governmental) has decided to address issues of energy development including energy conversion, distribution and use as well as reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in order to contribute to climate change mitigation. The attributes of energy policy may include legislation, international treaties, incentives to investment, guidelines for energy conservation, taxation and other public policy techniques. Energy policy is closely related to climate change policy because totalled worldwide the energy sector emits more greenhouse gas than other sectors.