Trottier Symposium: AI and Sustainability

As technological innovation continues to transform our world, there is growing optimism about the potential of AI to contribute to sustainability and climate action. In the engineering and urban planning sectors, AI is paving the way for more efficient resource management, optimized infrastructure design, and smarter urban planning, all of which are essential for building sustainable and resilient communities.

However, these hopes are accompanied by significant concerns about the unintended consequences of rapid technological advancement. This year's Trottier Annual Symposium on Sustainable Engineering, Energy and Design will address these multidimensional issues.

Prof. Victor Galaz (Stockholm University, Beijer Institute) will address these issues in his lecture, and challenge the prevailing notion that AI can be an unquestionably beneficial force in the face of climate and environmental crises. Although AI offers promising applications, its unregulated deployment could accelerate environmental degradation, intensify inequalities and exacerbate the risks to our planet and its inhabitants.

After the presentation, a panel of experts will assess the potential of AI for social good, taking into account its possible pitfalls. The discussions will focus on harnessing the promise of AI to create resilient, sustainable and equitable futures, while considering the ethical and societal implications of its use. The panelists are Prof. David Rolnick (McGill, Mila) and Prof. Emma Frejinger (UdeM). The latter is, among other things, co-holder of the Chair in Transport Transformation that the IET helped to create.

See previous editions