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Should nonprofits avoid AI because of its environmental costs?
May 21, 2025
Whenever I suggest that nonprofits adopt AI, at least one person notes that they are worried about the environmental impacts of AI. I admit that I don't have the engineering chops to provide an answer, but I did the next best thing: I asked AI, using ChatGPT's Deep Research function. Initially I asked ChatGPT to compare the impacts of producing a 10,000 word annual report using ChatGPT versus traditional online research. Then I added a third hypothetical where computers were not used at all. Here's a link to the report. I have posted the report on LinkedIn and asked for comments, but I haven't received any yet.
The bottom line is that fully analog (no computers) is far more environmentally wasteful than using a computer, with or without AI. As between AI v. not-AI but with computer, the difference is minimal. This is not the last word, but I think it may be a good start to the discussion.
This newly launched newsletter focuses on nonprofit resilience and sustainability, mostly (but not exclusively) relating to AI.