ACRL Artificial Intelligence (AI) Interest Group

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To provide a forum for discussing the impact of AI on libraries and related topics, facilitating the exchange of ideas, best practices, and collaborative initiatives among library professionals.
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Webinar: AI's Environmental Impact - Oct. 17

  • 1.  Webinar: AI's Environmental Impact - Oct. 17

    Posted Oct 02, 2025 12:46 PM

    Hi everyone,

    I'll be offering this webinar via Library 2.0 on Oct. 17:
    AI's Environmental Impact

    Learning agenda:

    • Review statistics about energy use of AI in a clearer context than the usual "factoids" you see in many headlines.
    • Understand some basic facts about data centers and their use for AI and other technologies.
    • Look at the history of news reporting about the energy use of other new technologies (like online book ordering in 1999 and streaming media in 2020).
    • Compare the carbon footprint of individual uses of AI with uses of other technologies and then zoom out to global use and what it could mean for climate change.
    • Examine the history of "Jevons paradox" and why it's often quoted in relation to the growth of AI.
    • See examples of how AI itself is currently being used to mitigate climate change.
    • Offer some practical tips for answering questions about AI and sustainability, and what we can advocate for collectively related to sustainable AI.

    Hope to see some of you there! It's not a free event, but you'll get a copy of the recording, my slides, and links to LOTS of useful materials on this topic.

    thanks,

    Nicole



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    Nicole Hennig
    ELearning Developer
    University of Arizona Libraries
    nhennig@arizona.edu
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