Artificial intelligence, systemic risks, and sustainability
Artificial intelligence, systemic risks, and sustainability
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DOI：
10.1016/j.techsoc.2021.101741
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发表时间：
2021-09-17
影响因子：
9.2
通讯作者：
Levy, Karen
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Galaz, Victor;Centeno, Miguel A.;Levy, Karen
通过人工智能进行的自动决策和预测分析，加上传感器技术和机器人技术等技术的快速进步，可能会改变个人、社区、政府和私人行为者感知和应对气候和生态变化的方式。基于各种形式的人工智能的方法今天已经应用于与气候变化和环境监测有关的一些研究领域。对这些技术在农业、林业和海洋资源开采方面的应用的投资似乎也在迅速增加。尽管人们对人工智能技术的兴趣越来越大，并将其部署在对可持续发展至关重要的领域，但很少有人深入探讨可能的系统性风险。本文概述了这些技术在农业、林业和海洋资源开采等对可持续发展具有高影响潜力的部门的进展。我们还确定了这些领域可能存在的系统性风险，包括a）算法偏差和分配危害; B）不平等的获取和收益; c）级联故障和外部中断; d）效率和弹性之间的权衡。我们将探讨这些新出现的风险，确定关键问题，并讨论当前治理机制在解决这些领域人工智能可持续性风险方面的局限性。
Automated decision making and predictive analytics through artificial intelligence, in combination with rapid progress in technologies such as sensor technology and robotics are likely to change the way individuals, communities, governments and private actors perceive and respond to climate and ecological change. Methods based on various forms of artificial intelligence are already today being applied in a number of research fields related to climate change and environmental monitoring. Investments into applications of these technologies in agriculture, forestry and the extraction of marine resources also seem to be increasing rapidly. Despite a growing interest in, and deployment of AI-technologies in domains critical for sustainability, few have explored possible systemic risks in depth. This article offers a global overview of the progress of such technologies in sectors with high impact potential for sustainability like farming, forestry and the extraction of marine resources. We also identify possible systemic risks in these domains including a) algorithmic bias and allocative harms; b) unequal access and benefits; c) cascading failures and external disruptions, and d) trade-offs between efficiency and resilience. We explore these emerging risks, identify critical questions, and discuss the limitations of current governance mechanisms in addressing AI sustainability risks in these sectors.