United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on major artificial intelligence companies to publicly disclose the environmental impact of their AI systems, warning that the rapid expansion of the technology is placing increasing pressure on natural resources.

As AI adoption accelerates worldwide, concerns are growing over the energy, water and land required to support the massive data centres that power modern AI models. Guterres argued that greater transparency is needed so that the public can better understand the true environmental cost of the technology.

UN Raises Concerns Over AI Infrastructure

Speaking about the growing footprint of artificial intelligence, Guterres highlighted the significant resources consumed by AI infrastructure.

“AI data centres are hungry for land, water & power,” Guterres said.

He urged leading technology companies to make detailed information about the environmental effects of their AI systems publicly available.

“I’m calling on every major AI company to publicly disclose the full environmental impact of its systems – as a matter of transparency.”

He added, “No more hidden costs. No more shifting the burden onto those least able to bear it. It is time to come clean.”

The comments reflect mounting concerns among policymakers, environmental groups and researchers about the sustainability of rapidly expanding AI infrastructure.

Why Data Centres Are Under Scrutiny

Although consumers interact with AI through chatbots, voice assistants and digital applications, the underlying technology relies on vast networks of powerful computers housed in specialised data centres.

These facilities are responsible for training large AI models and processing millions of user requests each day.

Operating such infrastructure requires enormous quantities of electricity to run servers, networking equipment and cooling systems. Data centres also consume substantial amounts of water to prevent equipment from overheating.

As demand for AI services continues to rise, industry experts expect the need for additional computing infrastructure and energy resources to increase significantly.

The environmental implications of this growth have become an increasingly important topic in discussions surrounding the future of artificial intelligence.

Public Opposition to Data Centre Expansion

Concerns about AI infrastructure are also emerging at the local level, particularly in communities where new data centres are being proposed.

Residents in some areas have raised objections over the potential impact of these facilities on electricity supplies, water consumption and land use.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in 2025 found that only around one-third of Americans supported the rapid pace of data centre construction associated with artificial intelligence.

The survey also indicated that many respondents would oppose the development of a data centre in their own community, highlighting growing public unease over the expansion of AI-related infrastructure.

Technology Firms Explore Alternative Solutions

Major technology companies are increasingly exploring ways to reduce the environmental burden associated with AI computing.

Google is reportedly working on an initiative known as Project Suncatcher, which aims to place AI data centres in space and power them using solar-energy satellites equipped with Tensor Processing Units, the company’s specialised AI chips.

Elon Musk has also discussed the possibility of deploying solar-powered space-based data centres to support future AI computing needs.

Meanwhile, Meta has announced partnerships focused on harnessing solar energy from space and expanding long-duration renewable energy storage to support its growing AI infrastructure.

The efforts underscore the challenge facing the technology industry as companies seek to balance the growing demand for artificial intelligence with increasing scrutiny of its environmental impact.

As AI systems become more powerful and widely used, calls for greater accountability and transparency regarding their resource consumption are expected to intensify.

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