There is a major focus on artificial intelligence at this year's COP climate conference.
AI is being used by researchers to try to tackle some of the world's biggest environmental challenges.
But the technology is also part of the problem because of the huge levels of data and energy it consumes.
Squelching through peatland in Co Wicklow, a team of researchers from UCD carry out checks on the state-of-the-art monitoring equipment they have installed in the middle of the bog.
It is a case of the wetter the better when it comes to Ireland's peatlands to maximise their carbon absorbing qualities.
AI2Peat is a project which uses AI to monitor the country's bogs.
A clearer picture of which areas of peatland are absorbing carbon, and which areas are emitting carbon, will help identify the bogs that need to be managed and restored.
This in turn should help to reduce Ireland's carbon footprint.
"Our goal is to leverage computer science and cutting edge technology like machine learning and combine that with current observation satellite systems to generate maps of peatland condition across the whole of Ireland in a way that can be updated regularly and automatically, saving time and money," said Dr Eoghan Holohan from the UCD School of Earth Sciences.
"One of the things we're hoping to achieve with this project is that our data can be used as real-time information for people who are working on the ground, on the front line of nature restoration and peatland conservation in Ireland so they can know where to target their resources, more effectively.
"It's a huge area and we hope to be able to identify the hotspots where things are not good, but also potentially the areas that we didn't realise are pretty good and that are giving carbon sequestration," Dr Holohan added.
There are research teams across Ireland working on a variety of artificial intelligence projects aimed at tackling some of our biggest environmental problems.
Projects that range from the vastness of our peatlands to the smallest of insects.
Amin Kargar is a researcher at the Tyndall National Institute in UCC.
He and his team are working on a new system that uses artificial intelligence to count and track insects in orchards and on farms.
Knowing exactly which insects are present, and how many of them they have deal with, will help farmers to cut down on the amount of pesticides they use.
"By knowing exactly when and where insects appear authorities can select the best possible strategy to control invasive insects in orchards and on land," Mr Kargar said.
"Growers and farmers can then minimise unnecessary pesticide usage, which helps them to reduce pollution, protect native and helpful insects, and support biodiversity," he added.
AI is being researched around the world as a potential solution to the climate crisis but the technology is also part of the problem.
A search on ChatGPT can use around ten times the amount of electricity that a Google search does, and the boom in AI has led to a big increase in demand for data centres.
"There's a huge environmental toll from AI particularly generative AI like ChatGPT," said Rosi Leonard, data centre campaigner with Friends of the Earth.
"AI that generates new content is about ten times more energy intensive than traditional web processes so we need to be really careful about how we use it.
"Unfortunately at the moment the guard rails are off because companies are betting on AI to increase profits and that's having a really damaging effect.
"It's also impacting consumers and workers in Ireland because the amount of data centres, and data centre energy demand in this country is increasing electricity costs for people here," she added.
Jason Kwon is the Chief Strategy Officer of OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT.
He visited Ireland on Friday and told RTÉ News that he believes the environmental impact of ChatGPT has been overstated.
"In comparison to lots of other things that we consume in our daily lives, it's a fraction of the energy costs," Mr Kwon said.
"For example meat products consume much more in terms of energy compared to a query on ChatGPT.
"I think the other part of this is that there is continuous investment going on to increase the efficiency of serving these products, which also in turn reduces the energy footprint associated with them," he added.
