Project labs Usage Lab
What footprint does AI leave?
Every use of AI consumes resources, has a cost and has an impact. The lab is built on a real experimental project and an open question that students examine critically.
Small project group · up to 12 students
What students do
- They measure the tokens, usage and costs of their AI queries and work with digital receipts.
- They explore privacy, decentralisation, crypto and digital value.
- They estimate environmental impact and compare where data comes from.
- They test the hypothesis about benefits to society or nature, or reject it with reasoned arguments.
Possible outcome
A data study or infographic that uses arguments to support, question or refute the hypothesis.
Subject links
- computer science
- mathematics
- geography and ecology
- social studies and economics
Open hypothesis
Could the value created by using technology form a new mechanism for supporting society or nature? It isn’t a settled truth. Students are free to reject it.
Suitable formats
- Workshop 90–120 min (suitable)
- Project day 1 day (suitable)
- Intensive programme 2–5 days (less suitable)
- Project block weeks (suitable)
- External studio semester + (less suitable)
- Online / hybrid possible
Technical requirements
A classroom with computers or laptops and an internet connection.
Group size
Small project group: ideally 6–10 students, 12 at most.
A smaller group leaves room for individual guidance, conversation, experimentation and genuine teamwork instead of a lecture-style workshop. Larger groups can be worked out case by case, for example by splitting students into several project teams or blocks.