The Invisible Cost of AI-Empowered Education: A Cross-National Study of Student Awareness and Behavioral Responses to Generative AI Environmental Footprint

Le coût invisible de l'éducation enrichie par l'IA: une étude transnationale sur la sensibilisation et les réactions comportementales des élèves face à l'empreinte environnementale de l'IA générative

Jean-Éric Pelet (), Basma Taieb, Panagiota Papadopoulou, Ana Semedo, Said Aboubaker Ettis, Wang Pengxiang, Iizuka Kayo, Wang Jing, Chatelain Amber, Bourimech Zakaria and Chin-Ching Yin
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Jean-Éric Pelet: IAE - IAE AMIENS
Basma Taieb: EMLV - École de management Léonard de Vinci
Panagiota Papadopoulou: NKUA - National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Ana Semedo: Ilexpansions, France
Said Aboubaker Ettis: UJ - University of Jeddah [Arabie Saoudite]
Wang Pengxiang: UTokyo - The University of Tokyo
Iizuka Kayo: Senshu University
Wang Jing: Srinakharinwirot University
Chatelain Amber: Midway University
Bourimech Zakaria: IAE - IAE AMIENS
Chin-Ching Yin: Tapei Tech - National Taipei University of Technology

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Abstract: Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is transforming educational practices worldwide, yet its widespread use conceals significant environmental costs rarely acknowledged in current Information Systems research. This study investigates students' awareness of the environmental footprint of GenAI tools across France, the United States, and China. Drawing on Green IS theory, we collected data via a survey administered online. Results reveal low levels of awareness regarding GenAI's energy consumption and carbon emissions, with notable cultural differences in attitudes toward sustainable AI use. While students express an interest in understanding the carbon footprint of AI queries, few are willing to alter their usage for ecological reasons, and ambivalence persists concerning the trade-off between AI performance and energy efficiency. The findings underscore an urgent need for universities to integrate environmental sustainability into AI-related curricula, balancing technological innovation with responsibility use of GenAI in higher education.

Keywords: Higher Education; Green IS; Environmental Awareness; Sustainability; Generative AI (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-10-02
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-05630227v1
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Published in Mediterranean Conference on Information Systems, Nantes, France, 2025, Audencia Business School et IAE Nantes – Economie & Management, Oct 2025, Nantes, France

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