How green is my AI?
Article by: Dr Susan Shelmerdine
Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming radiology, but with great power comes great responsibility – especially when it comes to the environmental impact these tools may have. At the upcoming RCR Global AI Conference in February 2025, one of the key sessions, ‘How Green is My AI?’ will tackle this pressing issue and explore what actions we can take to mitigate it.
I’ll be chairing this session which promises to engage attendees in a deep dive into how AI technologies influence the environment and what steps can be taken to make them more sustainable.
With healthcare accounting for 4-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, clinicians need a balanced and informed perspective on AI’s dual role. While AI offers immense potential to optimise and reduce waste, such as by shortening MRI scan times, its development and deployment can also carry a significant environmental burden, particularly in energy-intensive activities like model training and data storage. However, there are effective strategies to make these processes more efficient.
By attending, you will gain practical insights on how to implement greener practices within your institution and align your strategies with global sustainability goals.
The session will feature experts including Professor Erika Denton from NHS England, who will discuss the NHS’s efforts to incorporate greener AI solutions within its net-zero strategy. Professor Andrea Rockall, President of the European Society of Radiology, will present cutting-edge approaches to sustainable AI, in alignment with the ‘Planet Radiology’ theme at the ECR Conference in Vienna later that month. The final speaker, Xin Du from Cambridge Green Software Foundation, will address the critical question: Can AI models truly be green?
This crucial discussion comes at a pivotal time, as healthcare systems and governments worldwide commit to reducing carbon emissions.
I’d encourage you to join us to discover how clinicians and AI developers can collaborate to transform AI from a potential environmental challenge into a force for sustainable healthcare.
Over 600 attendees have already registered to attend the RCR Global AI Conference on 3-4 February 2025. View the programme and secure your place at early bird rates by 25 November.