Research an environmental AI use case or company in the Middle East (e.g. water management, renewable energy, etc.). Write a blog post evaluating the potential environmental impacts through the lens of the “Earth” chapter.
OpenEdition schlägt Ihnen vor, diesen Beitrag wie folgt zu zitieren:
Victoria Mummelthei (23. April 2024). ai and the Middle East, assignment complementing chapter “Earth” (deadline April 25). Keine Disziplin – No Discipline. Abgerufen am 9. März 2026 von https://doi.org/10.58079/13jqg


Much of AI practice in the Middle East advertises itself as a mechanism used to combat the climate crisis. Examples such as cloud seeding used within the United Arab Emirates are one of the more contemporary cases. Although much of the UAE’s urban planning is not equipped to handle cloud-seeding, its very function has proved to be a constructive mechanism in addressing the country’s rising water needs (Al Jazeera, 2024). Other examples of AI’s supported benefits can be seen in Saudi Arabia and its adoption of AI and drones on their oil fields. These two mechanisms would be used to enhance “sustainability brought automation” (Gnan, 2024), such as in detecting oil spills and the drones detecting methane leaks. While both specks of this automation certainly have environmental benefits, I remain skeptical about the introduction of both AI and drones in this case, as it is also used as a means to address potential Houthi attacks. I believe this justification of the tools reduces the very fabric of Saudi Arabia’s relationship with the state of Yemen, along with its escalations with Houthi parties through proxy agendas. It’s crucial to recognize that these Houthi attacks did not happen in a vacuum and are not isolated, baseless attacks. This takes me to my final point, just as Crawford analyzes in their chapter of Earth on the misuse of AI and its detriments to the Earth, I wasn’t to take focus on AI and the Arms Race in the Middle East. AI has been growing at unprecedented levels, and thus, there are very few studies that have been able to keep up with its growth in the Arms Race. With this being said, there are contemporary examples of AI-driven environmental defects, such as white phosphorus weapons. White phosphorus attacks have been used throughout the Middle East since the early 2000 (Sarkin, p.98) , however, with the introduction of AI-forward weaponry, white phosphorus attacks such as Israel’s illegal attack on Southern Lebanon and most recently on the Gaza Strip become even more dire than ever before(Amnesty, 2023) . Not only does white phosphorus have such detrimental effects to an individuals’ health, its remnants remain within the soil even years after without any changes (Sarkin, p.98). This forever changes the topography and agriculture of the region, impacting the future of the civilian inhabitants of the region. Crawford’s chapter rightly states AI as a mega machine on the basis of “infrastructures, supply chains, and human labor” (Crawford, p.48). I also argue that AI is a megamachine weaponized against nation-states and the environment in the name of their political/military agendas.
Work Cited
Al Jazeera. (2024, April 18). Did cloud seeding cause dubai floods? why experts say no. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/4/18/was-cloud-seeding-responsible-for-the-floodings-in-dubai
Crawford, K. (2022). Atlas of AI. Yale University Press.
Evidence of Israel’s unlawful use of white phosphorus in southern Lebanon as cross-border hostilities escalate. Amnesty International. (2023, November 1). https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/10/lebanon-evidence-of-israels-unlawful-use-of-white-phosphorus-in-southern-lebanon-as-cross-border-hostilities-escalate/
Gnana, J. (2024a, March 13). Ai, Drones and sustainability: Saudi Arabia’s Khurais offers peek into future of oil production. S&P Global Commodity Insights. https://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en/market-insights/blogs/oil/031324-ai-drones-and-sustainability-saudi-arabias-khurais-offers-peek-into-future-of-oil-production
Mojabi, S. M., Navazi, A., Feizi, F., & Ghourchi, M. (2010). Environmental impact of white phosphorus weapons on urban areas. 2010 International Conference on Environmental Engineering and Applications. https://doi.org/10.1109/iceea.2010.5596102
Sarkin, J. J., & Sotoudehfar, S. (2024). Artificial intelligence and arms races in the Middle East: the evolution of technology and its implications for regional and international security. Defense & Security Analysis, 40(1), 97–119. https://doi.org/10.1080/14751798.2024.2302699
After this chapter, it is inevitable that I ask myself this question: how long will it last? In spite of all these data collection processes, all kinds of information and knowledge acquisition, etc, despite having “advanced” in certain aspects, from my point of view, as far as human rights are concerned, we are still in the Middle Ages.
The fact that children are still being enslaved today and that they are being seriously harmed, not only physically, but even more psychologically, is shocking. In exchange for a pittance, they risk their lives in mines in the Congo (Africa) with the aim of obtaining cobalt, lithium, among others sources, forced by landowners and sometimes mafias (occasionally interconnected with these big magnates of the technology industry), in charge of controlling the collection of these essential minerals for their production and own benefit.
In terms of nature, it is unavoidable think, how long will it last? Not everything is infinite and every non renewable source of energy or raw material has its ultimatum at some point. Due to the non-implementation of control measures regarding this issue, an imminent problem will arise and we will have to face that due to the carelessness of not thinking about the consequences of this type of acts against the environment. And well, what can we say in terms of human rights, it is a total atrocity that in these times this type of situation is still happening in order to “try to evolve and innovate” at a technological level.
I think that before continuing with this supposed “technological innovation”, with regard to the implementation of AI in many sectors, it would be necessary to resolve the possible collateral damage involved in achieving any advance, in this case human enslavement for example, and also, what it would mean to implement this measure, its repercussions and the assessment of its supposed scope in society. Not everything is viable and sometimes short-term gain, long-term pain.
Automation, computing, and AI represent relatively recent yet profoundly impactful developments that have revolutionized various aspects of life. Their transformative potential is nearly unstoppable due to the multitude of benefits they offer. While concerns about job displacement were prevalent during the industrial age, the unemployment rate in most developed countries remains in the single digits, indicating a successful adaptation to technological advancements. Similarly, fears of widespread job loss due to AI deployment are mitigated by historical precedence, as automated assembly lines did not entirely replace human labor.
However, the advancement of AI and technology comes at a cost to the environment. The extraction of essential elements such as lithium, rare earth elements (REEs), and silicon, integral to AI machine building, contributes significantly to pollution. The dilemma humanity faces lies in assessing whether the benefits of technological progress outweigh these environmental costs.
The Middle East, grappling with issues such as water scarcity and the need for renewable energy sources, is witnessing the construction of massive desalination plants primarily in oil-rich countries like Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Israel. While these projects offer substantial benefits, their construction entails extensive extraction processes, emitting large quantities of pollutants. The disparity in funding such projects between relatively affluent and less economically endowed countries exacerbates the environmental impact.
Historically, European countries relied on coal for energy production during the industrial era, contributing to environmental degradation. Despite their transition to advocating for reduced coal usage globally, developing countries like India and China continue to rely heavily on coal, citing European hypocrisy. The uneven distribution of rewards and burdens from technological projects poses long-term risks, particularly as global warming and resource depletion reach critical levels.
In Turkey, projects like the Ilisu dam illustrate the complexity of balancing development with environmental conservation. While beneficial for some, such projects exacerbate water shortages, impacting irrigation, biodiversity, and local communities along the Tigris Euphrates river.
Ensuring equitable distribution of technological benefits requires international cooperation and oversight. Institutions like the United Nations play a vital role in advocating for global equality and environmental sustainability. Addressing geopolitical barriers is essential to fostering a more inclusive and environmentally conscious approach to technological advancement.