One of the biggest concerns over the use of generative AI tools like ChatGPT is their environmental impact. But what is that impact — and what strategies are there for reducing it? Here is what we know so far — and some suggestions for good practice.

What exactly is the environmental impact of using generative AI? It’s not an easy question to answer, as the MIT Technology Review’s James O’Donnell and Casey Crownhart found when they set out to find some answers.

“The common understanding of AI’s energy consumption,” they write, “is full of holes.”