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Moving forward with AI and the environment

Looking at University of Glasgow AI sustainability initiatives and beyond.

What can we do about fostering an ethical relationship between AI and the environment?

Consider the below initiatives ongoing at the University of Glasgow:

  • Glasgow University Environmental and Sustainability Team (GUEST) and related initiatives. As we heard in the interview with environmental advocate, Samantha Gibbons, the digital campaign initiative below was accessible across the University of Glasgow in 2025 and research was conducted into AI-user behaviour in response to the environmental information presented.

WRITING A SINGLE EMAIL USING CHATGPT CONSUMES THE EQUIVALENT OF A BOTTLE OF WATER (AROUND SOOML) Al-POWERED INTERACTIONS ARE RESOURCE INTENSIVE USE Al CONSCIOUSLY SMALL CHOICES ADD UP WASHINGTON POST DATA SOURCE HAVE YOUR SAY ON Al a. GUEST Lovelace-Hodgki n SYMPOSIUM ON Al ETHICS O— University of Glasgow VIA VERITAS VITA

IF HALF THE PEOPLE IN THIS BUILDING EACH USED CHATGPT TO WRITE ONE EMAIL WE WOULD USE AROUND SOO LITRES OF WATER USE Al CONSCIOUSLY SMALL CHOICES ADD up post SOURCE Lovelace—Hodgkin Digital awareness images

  • ExaGeo – Exascale computing for earth, environmental and sustainability solutions. The University of Glasgow is a partner in this initiative, as is the University of Edinburgh and Lancaster University.
  • iNaturalist – an AI-aided app that helps you identify flora and fauna species that you capture in a photo. This initiative builds naturalist communities, connecting people from around the world and also promotes citizen science.

AI sustainability initiatives beyond the University of Glasgow:

  • Data centres are huge consumers of energy and resources, but very few people are aware of where their local data centres are or of how much power they are consuming. The app, TraceRoute, developed by appsteka for Android, allows data to be tracked and monitored, keeping the public informed.
  • An example of a proposed revolutionary alternative to the way we currently consume digital content is the Solar Protocol. This network is based on the concept that intermittency is a natural part of how our environment works, and so should be incorporated into our digital lives as a response to the climate crisis. The Solar Protocol is based on the Earth’s position in relation to the sun, and so energy availability will differ temporally and geographically. The website is hosted across a network of solar-powered servers and is sent to you from whichever server is in most sunshine at the time!

TASK: Try to access the webpage for the Solar Project. How quick or efficient did you find the experience? 

If you encountered issues, is that the point, learning to live in sync with the sun, rather than expecting instant digital access at all times? 

Try accessing the webpage at a different time of day, did your experience change?

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AI Ethics, Inclusion & Society

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