
Why leaders should learn to value the boundary spanners
Entrepreneurial talent who work with other teams often run into trouble with their managers. Here are ways to get the most out of your ‘boundary spanners’...
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by Tomoko Yokoi Published April 1, 2025 in Brain Circuits • 4 min read
A. It is approximately one-fifth the amount.
B. It is roughly equivalent.
C. It is five times the amount.
Answer: C. According to one recent US study, getting one GenAI model up and running for a business generates an estimated 284,000kg (626,155lbs) of CO2 emissions – almost five times the emissions produced by the average US car over its entire lifetime.
A. It is approximately one-fifth the amount.
B. It is roughly equivalent.
C. It is five times the amount.
Answer: C. Significant energy consumption of GenAI models does not end following training. According to a recent MIT report, a ChatGPT query – which could be a basic request to summarize an email – consumes about five times more electricity than a simple web search.
A. 10 times the amount of the finished product.
B. 100 times the amount of the finished product.
C. 400 times the amount of the finished product.
Answer: C. According to a UNEP report, making a 2kg computer uses a “staggering” 800kg of raw materials. Added to the environmental cost is the microchips that power AI hardware, which need rare earth elements that are often mined in environmentally destructive ways.
Investment in GenAI is now non-negotiable for many businesses, but it must not come with a blank cheque for emissions. Stakeholder pressure on big tech and its customers will undoubtedly increase, and shrinking AI’s carbon footprint is vital as adoption of the technology grows exponentially.
Researcher, TONOMUS Global Center for Digital and AI Transformation
Tomoko Yokoi is an IMD researcher and senior business executive with expertise in digital business transformations, women in tech, and digital innovation. With 20 years of experience in B2B and B2C industries, her insights are regularly published in outlets such as Forbes and MIT Sloan Management Review.
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