Artificial intelligence and the energy transition: Towards ethical and equitable future power systems

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a tool with a variety of uses to aid the energy transition; however, careful implementation is required to avoid ethical faults which may arise. Numerous papers exist examining AI's applications in power systems, AI's energy consumption, and ethical flaws of AI within non-energy fields such as predictive policing. However, there lacks comprehensive analyses of the ethical vulnerabilities of AI in electricity systems, as well as the social and political factors relevant to equitable AI development for power systems. A comprehensive literature review was conducted identifying three strands of research: AI's use cases in the energy transition, AI's energetic demands, and AI ethics. Applying an AI ethics framework, the paper uncovers potential ethical vulnerabilities and provides relevant case studies for energy-sector governance. The paper further examines estimates of AI energy use and existing critiques of AI ethics. Finally, the energy transition is analyzed through a critical political economy lens, exposing structural tensions in how AI is deployed in electricity systems. Future directions for research are discussed to guide this emerging field, avoid the proliferation of blind spots, promote the creation of equitable AI systems in electricity, and to decrease the environmental impact of AI adoption.