Scope3 raises $25M as it starts looking into the environmental impact of AI

Scope3, a leading provider of media and advertisement decarbonization solutions, has secured $25 million in strategic funding in a round led by GV. Existing investors Venrock, Room40 Ventures, and Craft Ventures participated in the funding round, as did new investors Aperiam Ventures and Virgo Strategic Investments. The new capital will boost Scope3's efforts to become the go-to platform for companies looking to balance their sustainability goals with the innovation and success potential behind their AI adoption strategies.

Already a pioneer in sustainable digital media, Scope3 supports customers in various industries, including Coca-Cola, General Motors, Mastercard, and Sanofi, in measuring and decarbonizing their media through its ad campaign sustainability solutions and open-source methodology. Upon seeing the accelerated adoption of AI in marketing and advertising, and that many AI companies are monetizing their services by introducing advertisement, Scope3 CEO and co-founder Brian O’Kelley saw an opportunity. "AI and the media industry are soon going to be indistinguishable," says O'Kelley, "That’s why extending our methodology to capture the climate impact of AI is imperative, both for our business and the industry as a whole."

As part of its strategy to apply its proven decarbonization approach— which has already helped avoid nearly 3,000 metric tons of carbon emissions in the advertising sector in the last 18 months—to artificial intelligence, Scope3 has released a public methodology for measuring the carbon footprint and water use of generative AI, inviting feedback from the community. By measuring the environmental impact of the entire cycle of an AI product or service, companies can make informed decisions about optimizing their AI investments to maximize return while reducing their carbon footprint.