UMaine unveils app to gauge AI’s environmental cost

A new app, “What Uses More,” aims to reveal the environmental footprint of tasks completed with artificial intelligence, encouraging users to examine critically the energy and water consumption of their digital activities. 

The app, developed by Jon Ippolito, a professor of new media at the University of Maine, was unveiled June 25 as a part of an initiative to engage faculty and students in projects that lead to healthier communities and ecosystems. Ippolito created “What Uses More” out of a personal frustration with what he described as the “polarized takes on AI and the environment.”

“The purpose of this app is not to provide definitive measures of AI energy and water use; the industry is notoriously tight-lipped about its footprint,” Ippolito said. “Instead, the goal is to help you visualize the environmental impact of what you do online, as well as to learn how factors like where you live or the type of prompt can dramatically influence the footprint of both AI and non-AI tasks.”

The app characterizes the impact of using AI to generate text, images and videos in relatable units like lightbulb-minutes for energy, which are equivalent to an incandescent bulb running for a minute, and cubic centimeters for water, which are comparable to a raindrop. 

Users can also compare energy and water consumption between using AI and other technology. For example, asking AI to create a three-second video can consume 25 times as much energy as charging a smartphone and twice as much as an hour-long Zoom call with ten people. Additionally, users can manipulate various parameters, such as the data center’s power source and the climate of its location, to observe how these choices impact energy and water usage. 

This tangible representation aims to make abstract environmental impacts more comprehensible to a wider audience. Helping users compare and contrast the impact of online activities amid their unique circumstances can lead to a more informed approach to responsible AI use. 

“We’ve designed this tool to be less of a calculator and more of a conversation starter.” said Ippolito. “Teachers can customize scenarios by region and energy source, while students can see how small shifts — a ChatGPT lookup versus a plain Google search, or an image drawn in Illustrator versus one generated by Midjourney — can lead to different footprints.”

The app has already attracted more than 2,500 unique visitors from 39 countries, demonstrating growing public interest in the often-hidden environmental costs of technology.  

Looking ahead, Ippolito plans to expand the app to include the environmental footprint of more everyday activities, like driving a car or eating a hamburger, providing a broader context to AI’s impact. He also aims to develop custom versions of the app for iPhone and Android, and is interested in collaborating with UMaine students on these future iterations. 

This work aligns with his broader research into the impact of AI on creators — including writers, programmers and media makers — and seeks to illuminate the often-overlooked environmental costs in discussions about artificially generated or synthetic media. The project is part of the Stillwater Lab’s Ripple Initiative at UMaine, which is co-directed by Ippolito and aims to bridge academic knowledge with local economic and ecological needs.

Ippolito’s research contributes to the university-wide AI Initiative, which connects researchers, educators and industry partners through webinars and the annual Maine AI Conference to advance responsible artificial intelligence innovation that benefits Maine and beyond.

Contact: Taylor Ward, taylor.ward@maine.edu