AI and Sustainability – Towards a Fair Future
Documentation from Lunch ‘n’ Learn 10 April 2025.
How does generative AI affect our planet and the people living on it? In this insightful webinar, Somya Joshi, Head of Division at the Stockholm Environment Institute, explores the connection between generative AI and sustainability. She examines the broader consequences of AI development, including energy consumption, emissions, extraction of critical minerals, and the often-overlooked labor behind these processes.
About the webinar
Somya highlights environmental and societal costs of technological progress and challenges the prevailing notion that automation always leads to a better future. She calls for a reimagining of generative AI as a shared resource, ensuring a more just and sustainable development. Join this thought-provoking webinar to gain a deeper understanding of generative AI’s role in shaping our world and the steps we can take toward a fairer technological landscape.
How can we, as educators and members of the tech community, contribute to a more equitable future? What can be done to shift both mindsets and practices around generative AI?
In addition to discussing these issues, the webinar concluded with an open Q&A session.
Among the topics discussed
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The material and infrastructural demands of generative AI
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“Thirsty AI”
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The role of educators in shaping responsible generative AI use
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Practical steps toward a more sustainable digital ecosystem
Table of contents of the video
Here is a list of links that serve as a table of contents for the recording. Click on the link for the part you want to watch. When you get to KTH Play, click on the play button, and the video will start in the right place. All links lead to KTH Play.
03:12 Data, infrastructure, ecosystems and labour