AI in advertising 

98.8 percent less CO2 through the use of AI

This figure sticks because it doesn’t fit the usual AI debates in advertising at all.

It comes from the new WISO campaign “Safe,” which was produced entirely using AI. No shooting days, no set, no travel, no transport of materials. Instead of a classic live-action film with an average of around 9.2 tons of CO₂ equivalents, the production for the tax software generated around 100 kilograms.

The biggest driver of emissions was not logistics or on-site technology, but computing power. However, only the period from the approved script to final delivery was measured, reports Absatzwirtschaft.

There is a lot of talk about savings through AI, but it is mainly about labor and money. Yet AI offers a lever for sustainability that has an immediate effect.

Studies show that brands that use AI, carbon tracking, and automation can reduce their digital emissions by 20 to 30 percent – simply through more efficient processes, less wastage, and fewer unnecessary processes. The WISO case goes beyond this because it was not optimized, but rethought.

Let’s be honest: the commercial is not a masterpiece of creativity. But that’s another discussion. The key question in this case is not whether AI has better ideas than humans. It’s whether we really need to continue sending entire teams around the world to produce 30 seconds of moving images. Many of these routines date back to a time when resources seemed unlimited. And even the Covid years have not eradicated them.

AI in advertising is often discussed as a threat to creativity or jobs. This perspective falls short. The WISO case shows another, hitherto little-noticed side: AI as a tool for measurable environmental responsibility.

Perhaps this is precisely the part of the AI debate that we should now take more seriously.