Amanda Turnbull-McRae – The Conversation

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June 4, 2026

UN report warns AI could soon use 3% of world’s electricity and more water than we need to drink

Amanda Turnbull-McRae, University of Waikato

As AI models become cheaper and more attractive, they will likely encourage new uses and higher volumes of use – erasing any efficiency gains.

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October 21, 2024

NZ is encouraging the use of AI – but it’s largely outsourcing the risks and societal costs

Nathan Cooper, University of Waikato and Amanda Turnbull-McRae, University of Waikato

Artificial intelligence is energy hungry and has an ever-expanding carbon footprint. Embracing the technology will make it harder for New Zealand to meet its climate targets.

The coronavirus pandemic has fast-forwarded the functions and roles of robots and artificial intelligence. (Shutterstock)

May 6, 2020

How coronavirus set the stage for a techno‑future with robots and AI

Amanda Turnbull-McRae, York University, Canada

Robots can’t get COVID-19, so employing them in some jobs could help ease the limitations of stay-at-home orders and keep frontline workers protected.

Portrait of Edmond Belamy, 2018, created by GAN (Generative Adversarial Network), sold for US$432,500 on Oct. 25, 2019, at Christie’s in New York. (Obvious)

January 6, 2020

The price of AI art: Has the bubble burst?

Amanda Turnbull-McRae, York University, Canada

Last fall, a piece of art work created by AI to resemble 18th century classical western art sold for almost half a million dollars. But the second in the series sold for much less.

AI chatbots still struggle to understand the impact of their words. (Shutterstock)

March 28, 2018

Teaching chatbots how to do the right thing

Amanda Turnbull-McRae, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa

The chatbot industry sees more data as the answer to building a truly conversational system. But the industry may be teaching chatbots the wrong thing.

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