Responsible use of AI in conversational search

The environmental impact of AI is increasingly being recognised as a key sustainability concern, particularly due to the energy-consuming nature of training large AI models, data storage and water consumption levels.

The University with its commitment to Net Zero and sustainability initiatives considers these risks when integrating AI solutions. All AI enterprise agreements are procured within the context of sustainable operation and where possible selections are made on the prioritising low-energy AI models.

Conversational search in Squiz uses Anthropic and AWS models running on AWS Bedrock. AWS is committed to reaching net-zero carbon by 2040 and water positive by 2030. Under the GHG Protocol, Exeter's use of Squiz, falls under Scope 3, Category 1 (Purchased Goods and Services).

Work is underway to further develop environmental impact dashboards which will allow Exeter to monitor, report and optimise AI usage.