Looks like all those students using AI to write academic essays might be saving the environment.

Recent research is challenging our assumptions about AI's carbon footprint. When it comes to writing, artificial intelligence might have a smaller CO2 footprint.

👤 The average US writer produces 1.7 kg of CO2 per hour

💻 Chatgpt produces .382 of CO2 per hour

➡️ That's 1100x less impactful than if your student spent an hour writing 300 words about something they don't care about.

Okay, this is partly tongue and cheek. There are many counter-arguments to this research.

But we rarely ask ... what are the environmental impacts of my writing assignments?

I bet we could cut a lot of CO2 if we cut some of the unnecessary writing in academia and focus on assignments that really matter.

Or students will do it for us.

So instead of being obsessed about "detecting" AI, let's focus on how we can get the most out of the writing we do do.

I'm curious ... what is the writing that "truly matters" for you?