PromptWise

Inspiration

AI usage has exploded at an unprecedented rate, yet almost no one talks about its environmental cost. Each prompt silently consumes energy and water in large-scale data centers, but users are never shown this impact. As AI becomes embedded into daily life, this hidden footprint will continue to grow exponentially. We were inspired to build something that makes AI’s environmental impact visible, understandable, and actionable—so responsible usage becomes the default, not an afterthought.

What it does

PromptWise is a Chrome extension paired with a web application that tracks how users interact with ChatGPT and translates that usage into estimated energy and water consumption. It classifies prompt intensity and frequency, visualizes usage through graphs and real-world equivalents, and assigns a dynamic sustainability score from 0 to 100. The platform provides personalized feedback, encourages better habits, and optionally enforces daily usage limits with timed cooldowns—helping users actively manage and reduce their AI footprint over time.

How we built it

The main dashboard of the application is built using React and Vite (A javascript framework). The actual chrome extension popup is written with pure javascript, HTML, and CSS.

Challenges we ran into

lack of organization planning going into this. We came up with the idea very last minute too. many problems with just the general inner workings and logic behind how everything meshes. Also a lot of time spent on researching endlessly and doing math for all the different numbers and factors involved. lack of sleep!

Accomplishments that we're proud of

getting this to a complete state.

What we learned

we learned a lot about just how much energy and water AI comsumes per prompts, and how different factors play into the consumption rates. We learned how difficult it is to design sustainability tools that people actually want to use. Louis learned how to open a bag of chips.

What's next for PromptWise

Next up for PromptWise would mainly be to support additional AI platforms and models, and to gain more data and users for stronger and more reliable comparisons. We also want to refine our estimation models as more research becomes available and explore carbon intensity tracking. As AI adoption continues to grow, PromptWise aims to become a standard layer of transparency for responsible AI use.