Washington (April 28, 2025) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, applauds last week’s release of a report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) titled Artificial Intelligence: Generative AI's Environmental and Human Effects. The release of this report comes after Senators Markey and Gary Peters (D-Mich.) wrote to GAO requesting the agency conduct a detailed technology assessment of the potential harms, including environmental impacts, of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and how to mitigate them.

“There is a Dickensian quality to the use of AI when it comes to our environment: while there are many benefits, there are also many costs. This is why nearly two years ago, Senator Peters and I wrote to GAO to assess the potential challenges and risks AI poses. Last week’s GAO report confirms what we have known to be true: that for all its promise, AI comes with real costs to our climate and our communities. While these findings will help drive efforts to improve our understanding of AI energy and environmental impacts, I urge my colleagues to pass my Artificial Intelligence Environmental Impacts Act that would further investigate and measure these risks,” said Senator Markey.

The GAO report found that generative AI poses significant energy and environmental impacts, but there are information gaps which data collection and reporting could help address. The report identified five risks that AI may pose to society and highlighted policy considerations for lawmakers.

On February 1, 2024, Senators Markey and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Representatives Anna Eshoo (CA-16) and Don Beyer (VA-08) introduced the Artificial Intelligence Environmental Impacts Act of 2024, which would direct the National Institute of Standards and Technology to develop standards to measure and report the full range of AI environmental impacts, as well as create a voluntary framework for AI developers to report environmental impacts.

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