Green IO #68 A dive into every GenAI rabbit hole with Wilco Burggraaf and Mark Butcher
Nov 4, 2025
Mark Butcher, an expert in green operations and sustainable IT, and Wilco Burggraaf, a Dutch advocate for green software, explore the environmental impact of Generative AI. They debate the validity of recent studies, including Google's Gemini report, and discuss how to prevent waste in GenAI operations. Mark raises concerns about the social implications of AI, while Wilco emphasizes the importance of sustainable coding practices. Both highlight the need for actionable strategies to reduce GenAI's footprint and ensure better accountability in environmental reporting.
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Methodology ≠ Trustworthy Output
- Google’s Gemini report used sound methodology but presented manipulated and selectively excluded data.
- That made the results useful for marketing but largely unusable for operational decision-making.
GenAI As Personal Thinking Accelerator
- Wilco described how GenAI accelerated his ability to structure thoughts and write more.
- He uses AI to distill complex ideas but insists his output remains his own.
Align Sustainability With Business Metrics
- Tie environmental metrics to business metrics the organization already cares about.
- Put metrics in a central repository with sound methodology so teams trust and act on them.