How do I reduce the environmental impact of building or using AI?

Answered

First ask whether AI is needed. Prefer energy-efficient models and green hosting, manage data retention, and monitor footprint with tools such as CodeCarbon, Ecologits or Green Algorithms. Day-to-day, pick the smallest adequate model and keep prompts short.

From the guidance

Primary (how) AI Knowledge Hub: Building AI sustainably

Choose green providers: Look for hosting providers that use renewable energy and hold environmental certifications. Use efficient hardware: Where possible, select regions with renewable energy, use modern compute types, and right-size your deployments. Manage data thoughtfully: Set up efficient storage with clear retention policies, so you're not keeping data longer than needed.

Section: How to reduce your environmental impact

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Primary (how) AI Knowledge Hub: Building AI sustainably

You can use free online tools to calculate your environmental impact. Each tool serves different use cases: CodeCarbon or Carbontracker; Ecologits; Green Algorithms. Monitoring your AI product's environmental impact throughout its lifecycle helps you spot issues early and make adjustments.

Section: How to monitor your environmental impact

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Secondary (normative) AI Knowledge Hub: Using AI ethically and sustainably

If you do need AI, if your model allows it, pick the smallest one which will do what you need. Keep your prompts short, clear and direct; use as few prompts as possible; only use AI when needed.

Section: Use AI sustainably

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