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Sustainability challenges of Artificial Intelligence and Policy Implications

Automated decision-making based on Artificial Intelligence is associated with growing expectations and is to contribute to sustainable development goals. Which opportunities and risks for the environment, economy and society are associated with Artificial Intelligence-based applications and how can they be governed?

Advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) effectiveness have made its application ubiquitous in many economic sectors. Whether speech or facial recognition, computer games or social bots, medical diagnostics or predictive maintenance, or autonomous driving, many actors expect opportunities not only for product innovations and new markets but also for new research perspectives. Economic and political actors alike expect AI-based systems and applications to contribute positively to sustainability goals (Jetzke et al. 2019). These include, for example, the opportunities offered by AI for improving the management of smart grids (Jungblut this issue), and transport infrastructures, for conducting more precise earth observation, for creating new weather warning and forecasting systems, or for enhancing solutions for waste and resource management.
Source: Rohde, F., Gossen, M., Wagner J., & Santarius T. 2021. Sustainability challenges of Artificial Intelligence and Policy Implications. Sustainability of Digitalisation, Ökologisches Wirtschaften. DOI: 10.14512/OEWO360136

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Icon image: Majorel - ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY

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