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# Microsoft’s Double Game: Saving the Planet or Digging It Up?
- URL: https://www.thedigitalspeaker.com/microsofts-double-game-saving-the-planet-or-digging-it-up/
- Published: 2024-09-18T00:25:58.000Z
- Updated: 2026-07-27T05:27:00.000Z
- Description: Microsoft says AI can save the planet, but its biggest clients seem more interested in extracting oil than reducing carbon footprints.
- Author: Dr Mark van Rijmenam, CSP
- Tags: News, #seo-post-1

Microsoft says [AI](https://www.thedigitalspeaker.com/ai-strategy-speaker/) can save the planet, but its biggest clients seem more interested in extracting oil than reducing carbon footprints.

Microsoft has positioned itself as a climate champion, touting AI as a tool to combat climate change. However, the company is also leveraging AI to help fossil fuel giants like ExxonMobil and Chevron extract more oil and gas—maximizing production while quietly promoting sustainability goals.

According to internal documents, Microsoft is courting the fossil fuel sector with AI-driven efficiency promises, even as the world grapples with the worsening climate crisis. For example, Microsoft’s partnerships with energy companies could boost oil production by millions of barrels, increasing emissions, despite AI supposedly being a tool to reduce them.

This dual approach raises serious questions about the tech giant's true climate commitment. Can AI both enrich fossil-fuel companies and help save the environment, or is Microsoft merely paying lip service to sustainability while bolstering industries that accelerate climate damage?

Read the full article on [The Atlantic](https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2024/09/microsoft-ai-oil-contracts/679804/?ref=thedigitalspeaker.com).

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