The Environmental Cost of AI: What Can we do about it?

Modules

The Environmental Cost of AI: What Can we do about it?

Instructions for:TraineeTrainer

Related Initiative

RE4GREEN

Goal

By the end of this micromodule, participants will be able to:

• Identify key environmental impacts of AI technologies
• Explain how AI’s infrastructure contributes to climate and environmental pressures
• Reflect on trade-offs and future governance needs regarding AI deployment

Duration (hours)

0.5

For whom is this important?

Citizen ScientistsPolicy makersstudents, researchers, and research ethics reviewers

Steps

1The Environmental Footprint of AI: Understanding the Trade-offs

2Understanding the Systemic Impacts of Generative AI

3Making AI More Sustainable: What Are the Options?

What is this about?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be  seen as a powerful tool to tackle sustainability challenges — but it also comes with hidden socio-environmental    costs. This micromodule focuses on AI’s environmental impact. From energy-hungry data centers to e-waste and water use, this micromodule explores AI’s footprint and what people  can do about it. Participants will explore both the opportunities and risks of AI in the environmental context and begin to imagine what a more sustainable AI future could look like.

1

The Environmental Footprint of AI: Understanding the Trade-offs

In this activity, you’ll explore the environmental impacts associated with AI technologies. Concerns include electricity use, water consumption, rare earth mining, and e-waste. Possible solutions and governance ideas are also explored. Interactive exercises to test your understanding are also included.

The Environmental Footprint of AI: Understanding the Trade-offs

2

Understanding the Systemic Impacts of Generative AI

This step explores the environmental impacts of generative AI across its lifecycle: from training, deployment, and inference to hardware and infrastructure.

Understanding the Systemic Impacts of Generative AI

3

Making AI More Sustainable: What Are the Options?

In this step you’ll learn about the energy and resource demands of generative AI, as well as realistic strategies that reduce environmental impacts while maintaining performance.

Making AI More Sustainable: What are the options?

Steps

Other information