Bridging EU Climate Policy and AI Development: Toward Design Implications for Collaborative Sustainable AI Communities

Abstract

European Union (EU) climate and AI policies articulate ambitious sustainability goals. Yet, a notable gap persists between high-level directives and everyday practices in AI development communities. This paper examines how EU governance frameworks can be operationalized through design criteria that support sustainable AI development in HCI contexts. Drawing on current practices within online platforms such as Hugging Face, we propose eight design implications organized into policy-driven, community-driven, and hybrid strategies. These include standardized metadata reporting, real-time environmental impact visualization, incentive frameworks, and integrated community benchmarks. Our approach bridges the policy-practice divide by aligning regulatory requirements with community innovation. It fosters a human-centric, transparent, and sustainable AI ecosystem. Such integrated strategies can promote digital sovereignty and environmental accountability while supporting a transition toward sustainable AI practices.