[AISWorld] Minitrack 5: Artificial Intelligence for Sustainability

[Kennedy, Michael]

Hi AISWorld,
We wanted to invite MIS scholars to submit to a mini-track on artificial intelligence for sustainability at AMCIS 2019.
Thanks.
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Minitrack 5: Artificial Intelligence for Sustainability
Rohit Nishant, rohit.nishant at fsa.ulaval.ca<mailto:rohit.nishant at fsa.ulaval.ca>
Jacqueline Corbett
Mike Kennedy
Two topics dominating the public discourse these days are artificial intelligence (AI) and sustainability. AI is expected to drive a significant shift in the way business is conducted and these technologies are already becoming part of firms’ operations. Between 2011 and 2016, mentions of AI in 10K filings of S&P 500 companies increased eightfold (Riffle, 2017). Clearly, exiting opportunities exist for AI applications, not just for companies but also for society at large. As Colin Angle, CEO of iRobot remarked: “It’s going to be interesting to see how society deals with artificial intelligence, but it will definitely be cool” (Marr, July 25, 2017).
While there is excitement an optimism around AI, there is an equal amount of trepidation and pessimism around the pace of climate change and environmental sustainability. In October 2018, the latest report from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) revealed that irreversible damage has already been done to the planet and that “rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society” are needed to avoid disastrous effects of climate change (Miller and Croft, 2018). In light of such a critical challenge, it is incumbent on the information systems (IS) community to use the best and most promising technologies, such as AI, to help change the current trajectory.
As previous authors have noted, sustainability is a wicked problem (Murphy 2012). The challenge of sustainability is multi-dimensional, involves multiple natural and human systems engaged in complex interactions, and requires trade-offs between conflicting values of decision-makers and stakeholders (Hovorka and Corbett 2012). This complexity makes AI a natural fit for addressing sustainability challenges. AI is machine intelligence, or machines that can think, reason, make decisions, and even act like a human (Russell et al. 2003). A variety of different AI tools and techniques exist, such as neural networks, genetic algorithms, heuristics, natural language processing and robots, as well as closely related concepts such as cognitive computing. Machine-based intelligence can help firms and society tackle complex issues often observed in sustainability by transcending the limitations of conventional computing and human intelligence. According to the World Economic Forum (WEF 2018) areas where AI can address environmental problems may include autonomous vehicles, distributed energy grids, smart agriculture, weather forecasting and climate modelling, just to name a few.
Despite, the potential for AI in the context of sustainability, research is in a nascent stage (Riffle 2017). Therefore, this minitrack seeks to encourage research in this area and invites research investigating the role AI can play in addressing environmental concerns. The minitrack welcomes conceptual, empirical (qualitative and quantitative), as well as analytical approaches. This minitrack is open to studies that adopt different perspectives such as design science, economic, psychological, and sociological to investigate the consequences of AI for both private (enterprises) and public (governmental) organizations’ sustainability initiatives. The minitrack also welcomes research on related topics, such as the role of cognitive computing in addressing the challenges associated with environmental sustainability.
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
·       Adoption of AI by organizations and individuals to address sustainability concerns
• Assimilation of AI for sustainability in firms and industries
• Theories integrating AI with payoffs for sustainability
• Public policy considerations related to AI with implications for sustainability
• Development of sustainable products and services using AI
• Factors affecting the success and failure of AI applications for sustainability
• Responsible innovation processes associated with AI for sustainability
• Conceptual models examining AI for sustainability
• Analytical studies investigating AI for sustainability
• Applications of AI for sustainability in different sectors, such as energy, transportation, agriculture, smart cities, and others
• Threats and risk associated with use of AI to address sustainability concerns
References:
Horvoka, D. and Corbett, J. (2012) IS Sustainability Research: A trans-disciplinary framework for a ‘grand challenge”, Thirty-third International Conference on Information Systems, Orlando, FL.
Marr, B. (2017). 28 best quotes about artificial intelligence, available online at https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2017/07/25/28-best-quotes-about-artificial-intelligence/#10ee9f004a6f.
Miller, B. and Croft, J. (2018). Planet has only until 2030 to stem catastrophic climate change, experts warn, available online at https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/07/world/climate-change-new-ipcc-report-wxc/index.html
Murphy, R. (2012). Sustainability: A wicked problem. Sociologica, 6(2), 1-24.
Riffle, C. (2017). What artificial intelligence means for sustainability, available online at https://www.greenbiz.com/article/what-artificial-intelligence-means-sustainability.
Russell, S. J., Norvig, P., Canny, J. F., Malik, J. M., & Edwards, D. D. (2003). Artificial intelligence: a modern approach (Vol. 2): Prentice hall Upper Saddle River.
WEF (2018). Harnessing Artificial Intelligence for the Earth, World Economic Forum, available online at http://www3.weforum.org/docs/Harnessing_Artificial_Intelligence_for_the_Earth_report_2018.pdf
https://amcis2019.aisconferences.org/submissions/track-descriptions/#toggle-id-13



Mike Kennedy
c: 604-790-5151
e. michael.kennedy at ubc.ca<mailto:michael.kennedy at ubc.ca>
t. @milkennedy
l. http://ca.linkedin.com/pub/mike-kennedy/14/802/629/
WANT TO BOOK A MEETING? https://calendly.com/mike-kennedy

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