Summary - L.1801 (02/2026) - Guidelines for assessing the environmental impact of artificial intelligence systems

Recommendation ITU-T L.1801 provides a methodology for assessing environmental impact of artificial intelligence (AI) systems. The methodology is based on the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology standardized in Recommendation ITU-T L.1410 (or its equivalent ETSI ES 203 199) and the method for enabling effects for other sectors standardized in Recommendation ITU-T L.1480 (or its equivalent ETSI ES 204 087). The guidance in this Recommendation focuses on AI system specific aspects that need to be taken into account in the assessment. Aggregation of AI impact on the international, national, or regional level is not part of this Recommendation.