What is AI exactly and what opportunities and challenges does this technology bring on sustainable development and the environment?

The last IPCC report and the recent heat waves around the world demonstrate the seriousness of the current environmental crisis. In this context, artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly presented as a solution by international organisations like the United Nations and the World Economic Forum. But what is AI exactly? What are the impacts of this technology on sustainable development and the environment? And what if words and policymaking were as important as the technology itself? These are the questions that will be discussed during the seminars.

After an overview of how AI is used for sustainable development, the seminar will also touch upon how international organisations present AI. Against this background, we will discuss the opportunities and challenges AI may bring about.  

About the speaker
Marie Francisco is a doctoral student at the department of thematic studies (environmental change) at Linköping University. Her research focuses on artificial intelligence and new technologies from a geopolitical perspective. More specifically, she focuses on how international governance actors make sense of artificial intelligence in the context of sustainable development, what preconceptions they rely upon, and how they can impact political outcomes.