How Artificial Intelligence Is Making Energy Smarter and Cleaner

Artificial intelligence is powering more and more of the things we interact with every day, from our gadgets to our cars. But it’s also playing a growing role in how society’s undergirding resources — energy, food, and water — are sourced, secured, and delivered.

In this three-part series, we’ll consider how AI is being used to make those resources more environmentally and financially sustainable.

AI is not a discrete technology, but rather a school of powerful and widely applicable data science tools, which include machine learning, pattern recognition, and natural language processing. All of these tools can squeeze far more useful information out of data, and more quickly than humans could reasonably do on their own.

Without energy, we wouldn’t be able to grow food or access water, so let’s start at the power outlet.

Supply and Demand

Homes and businesses account for nearly 40 percent of U.S. energy consumption, which is why so much effort has been made to boost the efficiencies of buildings. But swapping in compact fluorescent light bulbs does only so much, especially in places with huge energy demand, such as data centers. Google’s subsidiary DeepMind, based in London, applies AI to control fans and cooling systems for…