As artificial intelligence continues to reshape industries across the globe, one researcher is asking a critical question that many in the technology sector have overlooked: What is the environmental cost of AI?
That researcher is Sasha Luccioni, a computer scientist and one of the world’s leading voices on sustainable artificial intelligence. Her work has positioned her at the forefront of a growing movement demanding greater transparency around the energy consumption, carbon emissions, and environmental impact of AI systems.
Born in Ukraine and raised in Canada, Luccioni has built a career at the intersection of machine learning, climate science, and technology ethics. After working as a researcher in artificial intelligence, she joined the AI company Hugging Face, where she served as AI and Climate Lead and became widely recognized for her groundbreaking work measuring the environmental footprint of AI models.
Among her most notable contributions is the development of CodeCarbon, an open-source tool that enables developers to estimate the carbon emissions generated by training and deploying machine learning models. The tool has become one of the most widely adopted sustainability resources in the AI community.
Luccioni also co-authored some of the earliest research examining the carbon footprint of large language models, including studies on BLOOM, one of the world’s largest open-source multilingual AI models. Her research helped bring global attention to the energy demands associated with training and operating advanced AI systems.
Her influence has extended far beyond academia. In 2024, she was named to the prestigious TIME100 AI list, recognizing the most influential people shaping the future of artificial intelligence. She was also featured among global leaders driving conversations around responsible AI development and sustainability.
In 2026, Luccioni embarked on a new chapter by co-founding the Sustainable AI Group alongside former Salesforce sustainability executive Boris Gamazaychikov. The organization aims to help businesses understand, measure, and reduce the environmental impacts of their AI deployments at a time when demand for AI infrastructure is rapidly increasing.
The group’s mission comes amid growing concerns about the energy consumption of data centres, water usage for cooling systems, and the broader environmental implications of the global AI race. Luccioni has consistently argued that organizations should prioritize efficient, fit-for-purpose AI models rather than automatically defaulting to larger and more resource-intensive systems.
Beyond research and advocacy, Luccioni has become one of the most recognizable public educators on AI sustainability. Through keynote speeches, TED Talks, academic publications, and industry collaborations, she continues to push for greater transparency from technology companies regarding the true environmental costs of artificial intelligence.
