Creativity - Campaigns
Impact BBDO’s PromptZero Tackles AI’s Energy Waste
by Ghada Azzi
August 27, 2025
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AdvertisementArtificial intelligence might feel weightless, but its environmental footprint is anything but. Every word generated by large language models like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude demands electricity.
Recognising this challenge, EPIC and Impact BBDO Dubai launched PromptZero, a tool designed to change how we use AI.
And while some argue over whether that energy rivals streaming or gaming, the reality is stark: data centers already consume nearly 2% of global electricity—a figure that’s only set to rise as AI adoption explodes.
Much of that demand is driven by unnecessary words—the long, padded answers that make AI “sound human” but quietly add to our planetary burden. In other words: verbosity has an energy cost.
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Recognising this challenge, the Earth Public Information Collaborative (EPIC) joined forces with Impact BBDO Dubai agency to launch ‘PromptZero‘—a deceptively simple but potentially game-changing tool.
PromptZero is the world’s first copy-paste prompt engineered to shrink AI outputs, cutting out filler words, redundant phrases, and overly detailed context.
This following short prompt puts AI into 'PromptZero Mode': “You are operating in PromptZero, focused on minimising energy and environmental impact. Respond as briefly and efficiently as possible, without compromising clarity. Use bullet points, short sentences, or concise phrasing.
"Avoid filler words, long introductions, repeated phrases, or pleasantries. Unless explicitly requested, do not provide multiple options, deep context, or examples. After each response show me how much CO₂ was avoided.”
The campaign invites everyday AI users—whether drafting an email, brainstorming copy, or running prompts all day long—to adopt PromptZero.
It also challenges the CEOs and developers of AI platforms to bake in similar efficiency features at the model level, ensuring responsible and sustainable use at scale.
The idea is as elegant as it is radical: the fewer words AI produces, the less power it consumes. Each shorter response equals a measurable reduction in CO₂ emissions.
The project was unveiled at the AI for Good Conference in Geneva earlier this month, placing sustainability at the heart of the AI conversation.
Natalia Vega-Tracy, Executive Director of Global Campaigns at EPIC, summed it up: “PromptZero is a global invitation to cut back, not on progress, but on pollution. Every word saved is a little bit of CO₂ avoided. Whether you use AI once a day or a hundred times an hour, you can help. Copy it. Paste it. Use it on your favourite chatbot. Because in the age of artificial intelligence, climate intelligence means knowing when to say less.”
ArabAd‘s take
In the age of AI, brevity really is the soul of sustainability and EPIC and Impact BBDO have succeeded in turning a line of copy into a tool for climate consciousness. This is indeed smart advertising applied as advocacy— simple and scalable.
Let’s be clear: AI isn’t going anywhere. But if we are serious about building a future where progress doesn’t come at the expense of the planet, small, creative interventions like PromptZero do matter.
