Every AI prompt comes with a power cost, even something as simple as writing an email.
As the use of artificial intelligence grows, so does interest in understanding its environmental impact. A new tool created by Hugging Face engineer Julien Delavande and collaborators helps users estimate the energy used for each interaction with a generative AI model. For example, generating an email with Meta’s Llama 3.3 70B model consumes about 0.1841 Watt-hours, which is similar to running a microwave for 0.12 seconds.
These estimates are not exact, but they offer valuable insight into the energy demands of AI. The tool encourages users to think more critically about how often and how extensively they use AI. Even small choices, like selecting a different model or limiting the length of responses, can make a meaningful difference when applied at scale.
