The Green Notebook - A Co-Creativity Partner for Facilitating Sustainability Reflection

AI is becoming increasingly popular in artistic work. Yet tools for calculating environmental impact of AI are more adapted for other contexts than creative practices, making them sometimes hard to comprehend for the non-expert. In this study, based on interviews with AI artists, a design artifact called The Green Notebook was developed: a physical notebook where the AI artist could discuss ideas and receive feedback of their expected environmental impact. The conversational experience between the artist and the interface was informed by online content analysis of artistic work processes. The Notebook was explored and assessed with five artists in Wizard-of-Oz and focus group studies. Generally, the participants found a co-creation process with the enhanced ability to reflect on sustainability an accessible way to engage with sustainability considerations of their AI artistic practices. We provide insights of the Notebook’s perceived role and the conversational strategies used by the artists. Furthermore, we discuss trade-offs between politeness vs. efficiency and focus vs. integration to inform future research.