AI Innovation and Sustainability

This doctoral research project addresses two key questions: how AI can be designed to minimize harm to planetary health and how AI systems can be developed to actively address existing sustainability challenges, such as the climate crisis, inequality, pollution, and resource depletion. A positive impact of this project is expected, among others, on the circular economy, recycling, and disaster mitigation. It takes into account that AI-related sustainability is not only a question of infrastructural efficiency but that scalable solutions necessitate the creative use of innovation to make AI an integral part of social life. The project employs a combination of quantitative social science methods and AI techniques to model sustainability solutions, study public perceptions of AI innovation, and analyze its political and economic implications.

Sophie Lecheler – Department of Communication, University of Vienna

Hajo Boomgaarden – Department of Communication, University of Vienna 

Emanuel Sallinger – Faculty of Informatics, TU Wien