New ITU focus group on environmental efficiency for AI and other emerging technologies launched

The Information Telecommunication Union’s Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) kicked off a new Focus Group on Environmental Efficiency for Artificial Intelligence and other Emerging Technologies (FG-AI4EE). The focus group will report to the ITU-T Study Group 5 (environment and circular economy). It is mandated to: (a) examine the relationship between emerging technologies and environmental efficiency in the age of artificial intelligence (AI), increasing automation, and smart manufacturing, (b) provide guidance on the environmentally efficient operation of emerging technologies, and the influence of these technologies on the environmental efficiency of the broader information and telecommunication technology (ICT) ecosystem. The group is open to different stakeholders to lead a two-year consultation process to identify new aspects of environmental efficiency to benefit from ITU international standards. The outcome of the group is meant to be in the form of technical reports and specifications to benchmark best practices and describe pathways towards a standardised framework to assess environmental aspects of the adoption of emerging technologies.