The AI Carbon Footprint and Responsibilities of AI Scientists

Bibliographic Data

ID22133756
AuthorsGuglielmo Tamburrini (0000-0001-7118-6541, University of Naples Federico II, corresponding author)
Year2022
Volume7
Issue1
Pages4
Publication date2022-01-05
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePhilosophies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2409-9287 • E-ISSN: 2409-9287
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/philosophies7010004
OpenAlexW4206801982
LanguageEN
Citations received7
References cited14

This article examines ethical implications of the growing AI carbon footprint, focusing on the fair distribution of prospective responsibilities among groups of involved actors. First, major groups of involved actors are identified, including AI scientists, AI industry, and AI infrastructure providers, from datacenters to electrical energy suppliers. Second, responsibilities of AI scientists concerning climate warming mitigation actions are disentangled from responsibilities of other involved actors. Third, to implement these responsibilities nudging interventions are suggested, leveraging on AI competitive games which would prize research combining better system accuracy with greater computational and energy efficiency. Finally, in addition to the AI carbon footprint, it is argued that another ethical issue with a genuinely global dimension is now emerging in the AI ethics agenda. This issue concerns the threats that AI-powered cyberweapons pose to the digital command, control, and communication infrastructure of nuclear weapons systems

Business · Carbon Footprint · Ecological footprint · Footprint · Greenhouse gas · Political science · Sustainable development · Adversarial Robustness in Machine Learning · Blockchain Technology Applications and Security · Ethics and Social Impacts of AI · Law

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