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For all the alarms that have been sounded about artificial intelligence’s possible contribution to climate change, AI, it turns out, could actually help slash emissions, according to new research (POLITICO Pro, subscription).

What’s going on: “Artificial intelligence could cut global climate pollution by up to 5.4 billion metric tons a year over the next decade if it’s harnessed in ways that would improve transportation, energy and food production.”

• Those cuts “would outweigh even the expected increase in global energy consumption and emissions that would be created by” data centers, according to new research from the Grantham Research Institute that was published in the journal “npj Climate Action.”
• By 2030, data centers are projected to consume twice as much electricity as they do today, according to the International Energy Agency—and the electrical grid is already strained.

The details: The report lays out five areas where AI can be used to slash emissions, including:

• Forecasting supply and demand fluctuations and helping the grid dole out energy more accurately, cutting down on intermittency
• Improving transportation by lowering the cost of electric vehicles via battery improvements

The backdrop: The use of AI has exploded in recent years, and President Trump is making the technology a priority as he aims to outcompete China.

Yes, but … The report urges the governments of developed nations to take an active role in determining how AI is applied and regulated “to make sure the downsides are managed effectively and the full potential of AI for climate action is realized,” the study’s author, Roberta Pierfederici, told POLITICO Pro.