Account for AI in the environmental footprint of scientific publishing

Nature News · Feb 24, 2026 · Collected from RSS

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CORRESPONDENCE 24 February 2026 By Giovanni Bacaro0 Giovanni Bacaro University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy. A May 2025 News feature shows that text generated by artificial intelligence has entered the publication workflow through the use of AI tools in writing, revising and peer-reviewing articles (see Nature 641, 574–578; 2025). These steps are not tracked, and so scientific publishing is acquiring an environmental footprint that no journal is currently measuring. Access options Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription 27,99 € / 30 days cancel any time Subscribe to this journal Receive 51 print issues and online access 185,98 € per year only 3,65 € per issue Rent or buy this article Prices vary by article type from$1.95 to$39.95 Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout Additional access options: Log in Learn about institutional subscriptions Read our FAQs Contact customer support Nature 650, 1070 (2026) doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-00590-0 Competing Interests The author declares no competing interests. Related Articles Is it OK for AI to write science papers? Nature survey shows researchers are split AI reviewers are here — we are not ready Will AI speed up literature reviews or derail them entirely? Subjects Latest on: Publishing Scientific community Sustainability Five ways to spot when a paper is a fraud Technology Feature 25 FEB 26 Pop-up journals for policy research: can temporary titles deliver answers? Nature Index 25 FEB 26 The Contributor Role Taxonomy tool must serve to record extent of authorship Correspondence 24 FEB 26 What's the best way to change research fields? These three scientists have ideas Career Feature 25 FEB 26 Five ways to spot when a paper is a fraud Technology Feature 25 FEB 26 Pop-up journals for policy research: can temporary titles deliver answers? Nature Index 25 FEB 26 Evidence alone won’t save biodiversity: the golden apple snail reveals an implementation gap Correspondence 24 FEB 26 Support people and their livelihoods rather than fossil-fuel industries Editorial 11 FEB 26 Preserving water under megacities is crucial — and urgent Correspondence 10 FEB 26