Artificial Intelligence (AI), energy systems, and sustainable development

Speaker: Riad Meddeb, Head of the UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) Decarbonization and Sustainable Energy

Hosted by the Energy Technologies MPhil, University of Cambridge 

Abstract

This lecture examines the emerging convergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI), energy systems, and sustainable development. It will highlight how the long-term trajectory of AI will depend less on computation alone than on the availability of abundant, affordable, and clean energy. As countries navigate the twin transitions of digital transformation and decarbonization, the AI-energy nexus is becoming a key frontier of industrial policy, geopolitical competition, and development strategy.

The lecture will explore how this convergence is reshaping opportunities and risks for the Global South, asking whether AI will reinforce existing hierarchies or open new pathways for inclusive growth, resilience, and green structural transformation. Drawing on a People, Planet, and Prosperity (3P) framework, it will emphasize the need for integrated approaches that place human development, environmental sustainability, and economic opportunity at the centre of the next phase of technological change.

Biography

Riad Meddeb is the Head of the UNDP Decarbonization and Sustainable Energy, leading global efforts to expand sustainable energy access and drive a just energy transition across 130 countries. With decades of experience in policy, finance, and advocacy, he has played a pivotal role in shaping high-level global energy discussions, contributing to G7, G20, and COPs while advancing UNDP’s energy agenda at the country level to maximize impact. 
With expertise in sustainable energy and development, Riad advises governments, multilateral institutions, and the private sector on policies that link energy access with socio-economic transformation—spanning education, health, productive uses of energy, green industry, and digital innovation. His portfolio includes leadership on emerging areas such as green hydrogen, energy governance, anti-corruption in the energy sector, and the responsible use of AI and data systems to optimize national energy planning and investment decisions. 

He previously served as Senior Principal Advisor on Small Island Developing States and Interim Director of the UNDP Global Centre for Technology, Innovation, and Sustainable Development in Singapore, leading global initiatives to scale up renewable energy, enhance resilience, and foster green innovation. He co-led the creation of the Climate Investment Platform, a joint initiative with IRENA, SE4ALL, and the Green Climate Fund, unlocking finance for clean energy projects worldwide. 
Before joining UNDP, he worked as an Economist at UNCTAD, ILO, and in the private sector and was a lecturer at the University of Paris V. He holds degrees in Economics and Finance from the University of Paris I: Panthéon-Sorbonne.