TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Climate experts and industrial leaders convened on Monday (Dec. 2) at the AI Sustainability Summit (AI 永續碳淨未來高峰會) to explore Taiwan's use of artificial intelligence (AI) to tackle sustainability challenges.
Despite Taiwan's exclusion from the COP29 summit, Professor Yeh Shin-cheng, a sustainability expert at the National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU, 台師大), and Professor Liu Wan-yu, a forestry expert from the National Chung Hsing University (NCHU, 中興大學), emphasized the nation’s potential to align with global environmental standards and innovate sustainably through AI.
Professor Yeh noted that the incoming U.S. administration is expected to alter energy policies under President Trump, stating, “but I think the [carbon reduction] trend remains because, according to the physical and scientific facts of climate change, people will observe the situation is getting worse.”
He advocated for science-based decision-making to alleviate carbon reduction constraints, asserting, "AI can help us to a large extent, but at the same time, will not generate more carbon emissions." He recommended employing a baby language model (BLM) rather than a large language model (LLM) to conserve energy.
Liu urged the government to leverage the outcomes of COP29 to “not only build a robust domestic carbon market but also boost collaborations with other countries” through an effective carbon market or climate fund.
Experts called for heightened resilience and adaptability across all sectors to address climate change impacts, emphasizing that collaboration and innovation are vital components of the country's sustainability initiatives.