# Do Generative AI Tools Ensure Green Code? An Investigative Study

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.08790 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.08790/

## Key facts

- Cited by 2 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 5 of its 22 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 10 Jun 2025.

## Builds on (most cited first, 5 of 5)

- [LLaMA: Open and Efficient Foundation Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2302.13971/) (2023)
- [ClassEval: A Manually-Crafted Benchmark for Evaluating LLMs on Class-level Code Generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2308.01861/) (2023)
- [How Secure is Code Generated by ChatGPT?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2304.09655/) (2023)
- [Evaluating the Code Quality of AI-Assisted Code Generation Tools: An Empirical Study on GitHub Copilot, Amazon CodeWhisperer, and ChatGPT](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2304.10778/) (2023)
- [Towards a Green Quotient for Software Projects](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2204.12998/) (2022)

## Built on by (most cited first, 2 of 2)

- [What Makes Code Generation Ethically Sourced?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2507.19743/) (2025)
- [Agentic and Generative AI for Open-Source Intelligence and Cyber Investigations: Taxonomy, Evaluation, Challenges, and Future Directions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2607.03233/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Software sustainability is emerging as a primary concern, aiming to optimize resource utilization, minimize environmental impact, and promote a greener, more resilient digital ecosystem. The sustainability or "greenness" of software is typically determined by the adoption of sustainable coding practices. With a maturing ecosystem around generative AI, many software developers now rely on these tools to generate code using natural language prompts. Despite their potential advantages, there is a significant lack of studies on the sustainability aspects of AI-generated code. Specifically, how environmentally friendly is the AI-generated code based upon its adoption of sustainable coding practices? In this paper, we present the results of an early investigation into the sustainability aspects of AI-generated code across three popular generative AI tools - ChatGPT, BARD, and Copilot. The results highlight the default non-green behavior of tools for generating code, across multiple rules and scenarios. It underscores the need for further in-depth investigations and effective remediation strategies.