AIT AI Ethics Lab at the Monash University in Australia: The twin transition is taking up speed – yet are we in the driver’s or the passenger’s seat?

What happened to the twin transition? Is it helpful to treat digital and sustainability transitions separately?

During his research stay in Australia, Peter Biegelbauer of the AIT AI Ethics Lab was recently invited to the Monash University Sustainable Development Institute to discuss this issue with experts from Monash University coming from sustainability and from computer science. Find a link to the video and the slides here.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is an equally pathbreaking and promising technology impacting our societies rapidly in regard to how we communicate with friends, find partners, do business, and make voting decisions, just to name a few examples.

It also comes with some challenges, such as opaque procedures - AI models are often described as “black boxes” - and an increasing consumption of resources, e.g., by ChatGPT.

One way to reap the benefits of the technology and minimize potential negative consequences are ethics-based procedures supporting the development of AI. Another way is to develop regulations, such as the European Union’s recent AI Act and activities of the US and China, but also the OECD and UNESCO.

The presentation was followed by lively debates on these two options, but also the possible contribution of AI to climate change versus solving the climate crisis as well as policy innovations contributing to harnessing digitalization and sustainability.