The ad industry is obsessed with AI — but what about its energy use and sustainability?

“Because of the state of the economy, because of where people are focusing their time, that CSR [corporate social responsibility] agenda has become less important over time,” said James Rowe, managing director at adam&eveDDB New York.

Missing from the flashy press releases about brands’ AI use is the accompanying statements acknowledging the energy — the water and electricity — required to use these tools. Up to two years ago, brands and agencies were buzzing about measuring ad carbon emissions, and partnerships with the now-defunct Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) and Ad Net Zero. Call it a shift in priorities.

The power it takes to train generative AI models takes up a “staggering amount of electricity,” according to 2025 reporting from MIT News, the news source for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). To avoid overheating, generative AI needs a lot of water — so much so that it’s causing strain on areas that need water most. 

According to recent reporting from Bloomberg Technology, “two-thirds of new data centers built or in development since 2022 are in places already gripped by high levels of water stress.” That includes states like California, Texas and Arizona.

Still, marketers are gripping on to AI’s promise to achieve scale faster and more cheaply. That’s not to say AI’s impact on the environment isn’t important, Rowe added. But sustainability has taken a back seat to efficiency as marketers prioritize short-term performance over long-term impact. There will be a reckoning at some point, per Rowe. The question looming is if that reckoning will come too late.

AI’s impact on the environment is just one leg of the corporate social responsibility conversation marketers have found themselves grappling with. For years, advertisers have been trying to reduce their carbon footprint. It wasn’t so long ago that there was debate about divesting from fossil fuel clients or reinvesting in diversity, equity and inclusion. Those topics seem to have fallen out of marketer’s zeitgeist in favor of product innovation and cost-saving efficiencies.

“If you are using AI, then you are contributing to some pretty big challenges. My hope is as the technology evolves, it will also get more sustainable,” said Maggie Malek, CEO of Crispin in North America.

Innovations in AI are moving at breakneck pace, with agencies and platforms alike building and selling AI-powered tools. It almost becomes an AI arms race to the bottom. If marketers don’t get on board the AI hype train, there’s the risk of being left behind.

“The cat’s out of the bag and it’s going to be so transformative to the way we work,” said Evan Horowitz, CEO and founder of agency Movers+Shakers. “If you put the brakes on AI out of environmental concerns, you’re going to be out of work pretty soon.”

But, it puts a responsibility on the ad industry at-large to keep its AI use in line with consumer sentiment — and gauge how they view AI use and adjust accordingly. Though, he cautioned: “Pretty soon AI will be so ubiquitous that it will flip consumer sentiment.”

If the ad industry takes that responsibility upon itself or kicks the can down the road, that part is unclear. Last year was early days for adland’s recognition of AI’s energy needs directly conflicting with carbon reduction efforts. “It’s the conversation that needs to happen next,” said Rowe. “We’re still figuring out the technology and its implications.”