AI-generated video is rapidly becoming part of creative and production workflows, but its environmental impact is not yet fully understood. ‘The carbon impact of AI video generation’ is a new report commissioned by the Carbon Trust. impact – a coalition of major media organizations including BBC, Netflix, Spotify. Developed with input from impact This report explains how to better understand, measure, and manage your AI video emissions.
This study examines how energy use and emissions vary across different models, settings, and workflows, highlighting the challenges media organizations face when comparing tools due to limited and inconsistent data and environmental disclosures. Early evidence suggests that AI video generation is significantly more energy-intensive than other forms of generative AI, and emissions can scale rapidly over the many generations required to create professional-quality content.
This research reveals a clear need for increased transparency across the value chain and outlines practical steps to improve measurement, reporting and decision-making. We also recommend developing consistent lifecycle assessment methodologies and product category rules (PCRs) for the use of generative AI to help providers and users better understand and reduce associated emissions.
This report is aimed at media organizations, AI developers, policy makers, and anyone who wants a clearer picture of the environmental footprint of AI video.
