UPEI Environmental Studies students host public symposium on AI and the environment
Students in UPEI’s Environmental Studies program will host a public symposium exploring the relationship between artificial intelligence (AI) and the environment on March 25.
Titled AI and the Environment: Impact and Innovation, the symposium will take place from 6:00 to 8:00 pm in the Alex MacKinnon Auditorium (Room 242), Don and Marion McDougall Hall, at UPEI. All are welcome to attend.
The symposium is being organized by fourth-year Environmental Studies students Audeane Bourassa and Aashima Sharma as part of their capstone course project. The event will bring together academic perspectives from computer science and ethics to explore the opportunities and challenges associated with artificial intelligence in the context of environmental sustainability.
Artificial intelligence has become an increasingly influential topic in global conversations about technology, innovation, and sustainability. The symposium is designed to encourage balanced and thoughtful dialogue that examines both the potential benefits of AI and its environmental impacts, rather than presenting the technology as entirely positive or entirely negative.
Three speakers will share their expertise and perspectives on the topic.
Dr. Dania Tamayo-Vera, UPEI School of Mathematical and Computational Sciences, will discuss how artificial intelligence can help address complex environmental challenges and support sustainable development. Her research focuses on integrating AI techniques with environmental applications, including the use of machine learning to improve crop modelling and optimize agricultural strategies in the context of climate change.
Dr. Tushar Sharma, Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Computer Science, will explore some of the environmental costs associated with AI, including water and energy consumption. He will also discuss ways to make AI technologies more efficient, drawing on his research in sustainable AI and software engineering.
Dr. Pamela Courtenay-Hall, UPEI Department of Philosophy, will examine the social and ethical dimensions of AI development. Her talk will consider how the significant funding directed toward AI technologies can result in unevenly distributed benefits and environmental costs. Her research focuses on the interconnected challenges of environmental degradation and social inequality.
As part of the event, the student organizers will also design and display an informational poster highlighting their research insights and critical perspectives related to the symposium’s theme.
Following the presentations, audience members can participate in a question-and-answer period with the speakers.
