Towards Ecological Sustainability of AI: What Do We Know About It and What Can We Do?
What are the promises of ‘green AI’? What are the environmental costs of AI tools and are there practices we can create to use AI more sustainably? These are some of the questions which have become essential as we encounter the ecological impacts of AI tools. For example, generative AI’s environmental footprint is significant due to the water, energy and other resources required for training, using and maintaining the models and infrastructures. The scale and volume of different AI tools and applications force us to look at sustainability and ecology of these tools with deep attention.
In this seminar, we will address key questions of AI ecological sustainability, discuss the main environmental burdens and assess and explore ways in which individuals can practically foster AI sustainability in their work. First, we’ll hear three presentations on different viewpoints of sustainability and artificial intelligence, and afterwards we’ll have a workshop in which we will come together to discuss challenges and solutions. Workshop participation is available on site.
- When: Friday 5.12.2025 at 10–13
- Where: Nokia Arena, Paidia, Kansikatu 3, 33100 Tampere & online
- Sign up by Wed 26 November: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/PtyzABA8T2
We welcome participants from the university community, local companies, public sector actors and anyone who wants to understand the themes in ecologically sustainable AI more deeply and apply better AI practices to work or in daily life.
Preliminary program
10:00 – Breakfast + welcoming words
10:15 – Janne Kalliola: There Is No AI on a Dead Planet, or How to Make AI Use Greener
10:45 – Erkki Mervaala: GenAI explosion: Thoughts on systemic risks and sustainability
11:15 – Johanna Ahola-Launonen: The Politics of Technological Hope: Promises and Paradoxes of “Green” AI
11:45 – Break
12:00 – Workshop and discussion
12:45 – Concluding remarks
Speakers
Janne Kalliola is the founder of Exove and chair of Code From Finland. He has deep knowledge in green IT and green code, and he is currently doing his PhD research on these subjects in Aalto University.
Erkki Mervaala is a researcher at the Finnish environment institute Syke and on his way to finish his PhD on climate change and economic growth in the Finnish media for the University of Helsinki.
Johanna Ahola-Launonen is an Academy Research Fellow and Principal Investigator of SUSTHOPE – Towards Sustainable Hope: Exploring the Harmful and Beneficial Effects of Techno-Optimism at Aalto University. She holds a PhD in Practical Philosophy, and her research lies at the intersection of philosophy, science and technology studies, and organization studies.
Organizers
The event is organized by Tampere University’s Media Ecology research group/Taru Research Centre in collaboration with DigiSus Research Platform, Kampusklubi and Vastuullinen tekoäly ry. The event is funded by the DigiSus Research Platform’s Community Impact funding.
Questions about the event? Contact:
Veera Kananen
veera.kananen@tuni.fi
Tarja Rautiainen-Keskustalo
tarja.rautiainen-keskustalo@tuni.fi