COP31: Antalya's AI Commitment Remains Voluntary

Turkey has put forward an "Antalya AI Commitment" aimed at reducing the environmental footprint of data centers and promoting standards for responsible development. The document, presented ahead of COP31 and set to launch on November 16, is explicitly non-prescriptive and imposes no new obligations. A study published in August in a Nature journal also challenges the notion that AI is already reducing emissions. The United States, which has the largest number of data centers, does not have an official delegation at the summit.

A Declared Non-Binding Framework Amid Debated Climate Effects

The commitment text specifies that its objectives are voluntary, non-prescriptive, impose no new obligations, and should be applied according to national circumstances. Countries can therefore choose whether or not to follow them. Meanwhile, research published in August in a Nature journal concludes that AI generates more emissions by increasing fossil fuel production than it avoids through gains from renewables. This controversy arises as data centers require enormous amounts of electricity, and this demand promotes the development of fossil fuel infrastructures, in a context where global average temperatures continue to rise.

What Ankara Proposes: Clean Energy, Standards, Reporting, and E-Waste

The Turkish initiative encompasses several operational aspects. It aims to increase the supply of clean energy to data centers, rely on internationally recognized standards for responsible AI development, and establish reporting requirements to document the environmental footprint of infrastructures, given that these centers are claimed to operate primarily on fossil fuels. The text also acknowledges the need to better manage electronic waste related to the rise of generative AI. Finally, it seeks to direct advancements in generative AI towards renewable energy production and emission reduction, with particular attention to developing countries.

Timeline and Diplomatic Scene: COP31, Launch on November 16, and American Absence

Negotiators from over 190 countries are gathered in Antalya for COP31, where the AI commitment is being discussed. Turkey has presented this text in advance, with an official launch announced for November 16. The political context is marked by the absence of official U.S. delegates at the summit, even as the country is described as having a data center fleet far superior to others. It is also noted that Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the global climate agreement.