AI Carbon Footprint Rivals NYC Emissions, Study Finds

DID Press: A new research report indicates that the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence in 2025 has led to a significant rise in greenhouse gas emissions—so much so that its carbon footprint now rivals that of New York City.

Alex de Vries-Gao, a Dutch researcher and founder of Digiconomist, said that this study is the first independent analysis to isolate and measure the environmental impact of artificial intelligence separately from traditional data centers.

According to de Vries-Gao, the widespread use of AI-powered chatbots such as ChatGPT and Gemini has played a major role in driving these emissions.

The report estimates that greenhouse gas emissions linked to AI now account for more than 8 percent of total emissions from the global aviation sector.

In addition to carbon emissions, the study highlights the technology’s growing water footprint. Water consumption associated with AI has reportedly surpassed global demand for bottled water.

The findings estimate that AI-related carbon emissions in 2025 will reach approximately 80 million tons, while water consumption will total around 765 billion liters—more than one-third higher than previous estimates for all data centers combined.