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Sustainability and AI

Last updated:
19 November 2025

A group of people working around a table
Carboned Out workshop, 2024 | Photograph, Ozge Sahin

How might we encourage environmental responsibility in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) at UAL?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming creative education and university operations, while the urgent need to reduce carbon emissions and protect nature grows. Generative AI has significant environmental impacts, with training and use consuming significant amounts of water and energy.

Our creative and academic expertise can help address these challenges. Many staff and students want to know how to use AI responsibly but lack accessible tools and information to make informed choices. Others have innovative ideas for how AI might be used more sustainably or be used as a tool to reduce our impact on the environment as practitioners and as an institution.

The sustainability and AI challenge is organised by the Social Purpose Lab, Net Zero team and the UAL AI Network. The total pot available for this challenge is £10,000. Staff and student projects may apply for up to a maximum of £5,000. Projects must be delivered between February and July 2026.

Funded project teams will also be offered opportunities to connect with other staff and students, training, and check-ins with UAL experts.

Projects should aim to achieve 1 or both of the following objectives:

1: Support informed and sustainable decision-making on AI use:

  • Develop and trial accessible approaches, resources, and metrics to help UAL staff and students understand the environmental impacts of AI. This may include tools, checklists, or cross-disciplinary spaces for dialogue between creative practitioners, technologists and sustainability experts, enabling users to assess, choose and adapt AI tools in ways that balance creativity and sustainability.

2: Use AI to reduce UAL’s environmental footprint:

  • Identify, adapt, or develop AI tools, workflows, or local models that minimise resource consumption and address institutional sustainability challenges—such as reducing energy use or waste.

1: Budget efficiently with an itemised breakdown of spend, naming the intended hiring manager for staffing contracts and the intended suppliers for materials or services – you’re strongly encouraged to use UAL suppliers.

2: Ask for no more than the maximum challenge allocation of £5000 and allocate no more than 50% of the proposed spend to staffing costs.

3: UAL staff: get approval from your line manager, dean or director and key project stakeholders.

4: UAL students: get approval from your course leader and key project stakeholders.

5: Deliver a clear output within the project period: February to July 2026.

6: Design and deliver collaboratively so that benefits extend beyond individual practice. Collaboration across UAL Colleges, disciplines, staff and student groups is highly encouraged.

7: Consider how you can involve students and positively impact the student journey, directly or indirectly. The fund can’t support students’ final projects.

8: If your project involves sensitive data or direct engagement with vulnerable or marginalised communities, set out how:

  • data risks will be managed, including GDPR compliance
  • participants will be safeguarded (for example: a named, qualified safeguarding lead or experienced project partner)
  • appropriate support and signposting will be provided.

In some cases, submission to the UAL Ethics Committee may be required.

9: Represent genuinely new initiatives, or a new, distinct phase of existing work. We cannot fund ongoing initiatives that already have substantial funding. If an existing initiative does not have enough or sustainable funding, you’ll need to make a strong case for how your proposed phase clearly aligns with the challenge brief and brings something innovative. You cannot rely on the fund to extend current work.

1: Projects may use AI tools that participants already have access to through existing UAL provision. The Fund cannot be used to procure institutional software licences, nor can projects expect additional IT support from UAL services.

In January 2026, proposals will be reviewed through a participatory grant-making process. This means that applicants and a group of UAL staff and students will come together in person and decide how to allocate the available funds.

It’s mandatory for a representative from each project to attend 2 half-day meetings on 16 and 28 January. At these sessions, applicants will pitch their proposals in a short presentation.

Attendees, including applicants, will then provide each project with a score based on 3 criteria:

1: Togetherness and co-creation

Does the project bring people together, involve diverse voices, and strengthen connections across communities?

2: Innovation and legacy

Does the project introduce new ideas or approaches that create lasting benefits, with outcomes and learning that continue to make a difference into the future?

3: Clarity and alignment

Is there a clear and realistic plan that aligns with the challenge brief objectives and can make the vision a reality?

Apply for the Social Purpose Innovation Fund.

Download the Social Purpose Innovation Fund application guide (Word 65KB).