Work

The HCI GenAI CO2ST Calculator: Calculating and Offsetting the Carbon Footprint of Generative AI Use in Human-Computer Interaction Research

Year: 2025

Type: conference-paper

Abstract: Figure 1: A touch display is integrated in the stem of a large cardboard tree.The glowing "leaves" of the tree are yellow and red to evoke associations with late summer in Aarhus.A person can input how they have used GenAI in research and the screen will show an estimate of the CO 2 e that this research has cost.A small thermal printer will print two receipts of their result: one to hang on the tree, and one to bring home.The receipts hanging on the tree will constitute a growing body of evidence for the 𝐶𝑂 2 st of GenAI use for HCI research.The user can exchange their CO 2 e result into the number of tree seeds that, if grown for the next 10 years, would be enough to offset their carbon footprint.

DOI: 10.1145/3737609.3747110

Authors: Nanna Inie, Jeanette Falk, Raghavendra Selvan

Institutions: IT University of Copenhagen, Aalborg University, University of Copenhagen

Language: English

Topic: Green IT and Sustainability

Subfield: Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Climate action

Open Access status: gold

Funders: Villum Fonden, European Commission, HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme

Awards: DATAPACT: COMPLIANCE BY DESIGN OF DATA/AI OPERATIONS AND PIPELINES, G8070232825, Enabling Data Enrichment Pipelines for AI-driven Business Products and Services