Most brands believe AI is increasing emissions and operational costs, but few are fully measuring its carbon impact, according to new research from climate technology and advisory platform 51toCarbonZero.

The latest edition of the company’s Zeroed In: The Brand Marketing Pulse report surveyed 200 senior marketers at large brands in the UK and US, finding that rapid AI adoption is creating new sustainability challenges for organisations.

The research found that 88% of marketers believe their organisation’s use of AI is increasing operational costs, while the same proportion said it is increasing their carbon footprint.

More than a third (35%) said AI is increasing costs significantly, while 42% said it is significantly increasing emissions.

Despite this awareness, only 36% of brands said they have fully measured the carbon impact of their AI usage. A further 56% said they had partially measured the impact, while 8% admitted they had not measured it at all.

Richard Davis, chief executive and co-founder of 51toCarbonZero, said: “AI is transforming marketing at pace, but this research shows brands are becoming increasingly aware that speed of execution alone doesn’t equal sustainability.

“With nearly nine in 10 marketers acknowledging that AI is increasing emissions, the fact that only a third have fully measured its impact highlights a significant governance challenge. Businesses cannot effectively reduce what they are not measuring.”

US marketers were more likely than UK respondents to say AI is significantly increasing emissions, with 51% of US respondents selecting this option compared with 32% in the UK.

Sustainability becomes more embedded

The research also suggests sustainability is becoming more integrated into business operations, with fewer organisations reporting barriers to reducing emissions.

Overall, 85% of respondents said their organisation had made significant or moderate progress towards reducing carbon emissions.

In 2025, 40% of marketers said marketing decarbonisation was not part of their wider enterprise sustainability strategy. This year, only 23% identified sustainability alignment as a major challenge.

Concerns over insufficient budgets have also declined, falling from 37% in 2025 to 17% in 2026. Meanwhile, uncertainty around the return on investment from sustainable practices dropped from 37% to 20%.

However, new challenges are emerging, including increased energy use from AI, regulatory complexity, competing business priorities and a lack of clear industry standards.

“This year’s results indicate a real shift in mindset,” said Davis. “Brands are becoming more operationally confident when it comes to sustainability. We’re seeing fewer organisations questioning whether sustainability matters, and more focusing on how to integrate it effectively into business decision-making.

“However, the rapid growth of AI is creating a new balancing act between innovation, operational efficiency, financial cost and sustainability goals.”

Sustainability remains commercially important

The research found that sustainability credentials continue to influence marketing decisions.

More than nine in 10 respondents (91%) said sustainability credentials are important when selecting agencies, publishers, platforms or technology partners, with 41% describing them as extremely important.

Half of respondents said their organisation is increasing its commitment to sustainability in 2026, while only 4% said commitments were being reduced.

Neil Woodcock, executive chairman and co-founder of 51toCarbonZero, said: “The conversation around sustainability is clearly evolving.

“Last year, many marketers were still grappling with whether sustainability could realistically be embedded into business operations. This year, the challenge is increasingly about balancing sustainability ambitions with the rapid growth of technologies like AI.

“What’s encouraging is that sustainability is no longer being viewed solely as a reputational issue. It’s becoming a commercial and operational consideration that increasingly influences procurement, investment and long-term business resilience.”

The research was conducted by Censuswide in June 2026 among 200 senior management and C-suite marketers in the UK and US working in-house at large brands.