Environmental Impact

Category: Social and Cultural Issues

Some technologies, such as blockchain, are already known to have a potentially significant impact on the environment (Hotchkiss, 2019). Analytics and AI could have a similarly detrimental impact as "manufacture of digital devices and other electronics — which go hand-in-hand with development of AI — continues to damage our environment, despite efforts to prevent this" (Meinecke. 2018).

In other cases, no real concern is identified. "While the authors are sensitive to the significant impact AI is having, and will have, on the environment, we did not find a concentration of related concepts in this area that would rise to the level of a theme" (Fjeld, et.al., 2020: 16). Yet, "IA Latam's principles, for example, stress that the impact of AI systems should not 'represent a threat for our environment.' (and) other documents go further, moving from a prohibition on negative ramifications to prescribe that AI technologies must be designed 'to protect the environment, the climate and natural resources' or to 'promote the sustainable development of nature and society.'" (Fjeld, et.al., 2020:31)

Examples and Articles

Environmental Sustainability And AI
â€œAI-based systems are highly compute-intensive. They must process a great deal of data, expanding the need for servers and dependence on energy to cool data centers.â€ Direct Link

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