Written question asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated) on Thursday, 1 May 2025, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Friday, 16 May 2025. It was answered by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour) on Friday, 16 May 2025 on behalf of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

Artificial Intelligence: Carbon Emissions

Question: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how current net zero targets will affect the adoption of artificial intelligence technologies and investment in these technologies.

Answer: Embracing the opportunities that AI can provide to drive growth and productivity in the economy is a government objective. Building the low carbon economy of the future will lead to significant increases in electricity demand across many sectors. These projected increases were a key part of the analysis that underpinned the department’s Clean Power Action Plan, consistent with our net zero targets. By unlocking new low carbon electricity generation, improving access to the electricity grid and the efficient operation of the energy system we will achieve Clean Power by 2030. We will maintain secure, resilient energy supplies that can be used to enable these technologies.

Secondary information