United Kingdom, Jan. 21 -- Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has warned that the technology industry risks losing "the social permission" and the right to consume vast amounts of power if artificial intelligence (AI) fails to deliver meaningful real-world benefits.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum, Nadella said AI must justify its growing energy footprint by improving outcomes across society, from healthcare and education to government efficiency and business productivity.

He said: "We will quickly lose even the social permission to take something like energy, which is a scarce resource, and use it to generate these tokens.

"If these tokens are not improving health outcomes, education outcomes, public sector efficiency, private sector co...