environmental harm caused by AI, including calls for transparency
regarding energy consumption in AI development and operation,
the use of renewable energy, and restraint in the unchecked
construction of data centers. However, it may not be easy for
users to intervene in or influence the environmental impacts of AI
providers from a user’s position. Nevertheless, it remains important
to continue exploring and pursuing practical actions that we can
take within our own scope of influence.
First, efforts should be made to reduce unnecessary use of
generative AI. While it is not always clear what constitutes the
minimum necessary level of use, environmental impacts should
be kept in mind whenever generative AI is employed. For example,
users should avoid unnecessary interactions such as exchanging
courtesy messages with chatbots, and, in particular, refrain from
generating images, audio, or video—tasks that consume far more
energy than text generation—unless they are genuinely needed.
If the same requests arise repeatedly within an organization,
unnecessary prompts can be reduced by reusing previously
generated outputs or sharing results among staff members. At the
same time, care must be taken to verify the timeliness and accuracy
of stored materials and to prevent inappropriate sharing of personal
data across teams during internal sharing processes. For tasks
that can be handled without generative AI, appropriate alternative
tools—such as conventional search engines or offline data analysis
tools—should be prioritized.
Where possible, lighter-weight AI models (for example, ChatGPT 4o
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