From predicting deforestation to crafting persuasive deepfakes, Artificial Intelligence is rapidly weaving new threads into the very fabric of our environmental future. This episode dives into the unseen algorithms and complex networks that power AI, exploring how this technology is both a powerful tool for conservation and a perilous threat spreading disinformation. We'll unravel the ethical knots of AI's influence on advocacy and activism, examining how we can harness its potential for good without getting caught in its deceptive tangle.WEBSITE: www.greentreadpod.comTIMESTAMPS:00:00: intro + fun fact02:07: factors that AI influences03:52: types of AI04:45: AI water & energy consumption 13:46: how AI can be used for good + machine ethics podcast15:30: how AI is used in media + potential threats19:43: more sustainable approach to AI21:23: ways to ethically use AI23:22: how to cut down your individual usage of energy from AIRESOURCES:https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2024-cop29-climate-change-targets/https://www.iea.org/news/ai-is-set-to-drive-surging-electricity-demand-from-data-centres-while-offering-the-potential-to-transform-how-the-energy-sector-workshttps://mitsloan.mit.edu/ideas-made-to-matter/ai-has-high-data-center-energy-costs-there-are-solutions#:~:text=Surging%20demand%20for%20artificial%20intelligence%20has%20had,2026%2C%20fueled%20in%20part%20by%20AI%20adoption.https://www.cloudcomputing-news.net/news/aws-unveils-11-billion-investment-in-georgia-data-centres/https://www.thetimes.com/uk/technology-uk/article/thirsty-chatgpt-uses-four-times-more-water-than-previously-thought-bc0pqswdrhttps://www.tomshardware.com/news/just-five-chatgpt-queries-can-use-16oz-of-water-say-researchershttps://www.machine-ethics.net/podcast/deepdive-ai-and-the-environment/https://smartly.ai/blog/the-carbon-footprint-of-chatgpt-how-much-co2-does-a-query-generatehttps://news.un.org/en/story/2025/05/1162856https://www.techradar.com/pro/worlds-smallest-nvidia-ai-server-launched-but-barely-anyone-noticed-asrocks-mecai-is-powered-by-the-gh200-grace-superchip-but-is-so-small-you-could-possibly-put-it-under-a-deskhttps://aiplusinfo.medium.com/meta-introduces-ai-generated-users-on-social-media-f6b7721ad44ehttps://www.sustainableaicoalition.org/