The power and water resources used during the creation and then operation of Generative AI and the impact this has on the environment is an area of concern. There are also social and ethical considerations including the exploitation of human labour to review the content in these tools. The material used by these tools has been scrapped from the internet this therefore contains bias, misrepresentation and marginalization of some groups.
The following resources can help in understanding the issues and considerations you may want to reflected on when planning your use of GenAI.
JISC in September 2024 produced this advice and guidance which looks at both the negative and positive environmental impacts of AI and some thoughts on how to be more responsible when using AI. A follow up titled Artificial Intelligence and the Environment: The Current Landscape (March 2025), provides an update as Generative AI becomes even more integrated into our digital infrastructure. JISC have also compared the environmental impact of GenAI with other digital services such as streaming platforms in Artificial intelligence and the environment: Putting the numbers into perspective (May 2025) which encourages us to think about the many ways we can reduce the environmental impact when using digital resources.
"Since writing about the environmental impacts of AI and the importance of taking a responsible approach last September (2024), AI technologies have become even more integrated into our digital infrastructure. Generative AI (e.g. ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot) has been adopted by millions and is becoming as familiar as checking an email, which is particularly concerning given generative AI development is typically where we see the greatest environmental costs. Previously, the focus was largely on the energy costs of training AI models, but we’re now seeing a shift towards the ongoing energy demands of running them instead. The tension around AI’s potential benefits versus its growing footprint continues, but an acknowledgement of the challenge has begun, both from big tech and governments on a global scale, which is a positive move in the right direction"
JISC have published some new advice and guidance called "Artificial intelligence and the environment: Putting the numbers into perspective" where research to compare the environmental impact of Generative AI with other digital services such as streaming and videoconferencing provides some interesting data and a different focus on the impact of Generative AI
Amherst University have produced an informative guide to Responsible Engagement with AI which included a set of questions that help when considering the reasons for using GenAI and the potential costs or harms.
The Sustainability Agency has collated data which presents an overview of the environment impact of GenAI. The table below shows impact both in the training and use of GenAI tools.