As artificial intelligence adoption accelerates across the UAE and the globe, a new initiative is aiming to tackle its environmental footprint. The Earth Public Information Collaborative (EPIC) has launched PromptZero, the world’s first AI prompt designed specifically to reduce carbon emissions from AI-generated responses.
Launched during the AI for Good Summit in Geneva, PromptZero supports global sustainability goals and aligns with the UAE’s Vision 2050 and “We the UAE 2031” strategy, which emphasises streamlined processes, AI integration, and resource efficiency.
AI systems such as ChatGPT-4 are known for their high energy consumption. According to Goldman Sachs, a single ChatGPT-4 query can consume up to ten times more electricity than a typical Google search. The majority of this energy is expended on generating long and detailed outputs.
PromptZero offers a simple intervention—a copy-paste prompt that puts AI tools into a more concise, “low-emission” mode. The aim is to encourage brief, clear replies that reduce computing load and, by extension, the energy use required to produce them.
The prompt reads in part: “You are operating in PromptZero, focused on minimising energy and environmental impact. Respond as briefly and efficiently as possible, without compromising clarity… After each response show me how much CO₂ was avoided.”
“PromptZero is a global invitation to cut back, not on progress, but on pollution,” said Natalia Vega-Tracy, Executive Director of Global Campaigns at EPIC. “Every word saved is a little bit of CO₂ avoided. Whether you use AI once a day or a hundred times an hour, you can help. Copy it. Paste it. Use it on your favourite chatbot. Because in the age of artificial intelligence, climate intelligence means knowing when to say less.”
EPIC is encouraging governments, developers, and data centre operators to adopt sustainability prompts as part of default AI model configurations.
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