“AI is not an eco wonder weapon”

Digitalisation is increasingly shaping people’s lives. This is reflected, for instance, by the fact that the number of internet users has more than doubled over the past decade. Car-sharing platforms, video conferencing, streaming subscriptions, search engines, artificial intelligence: it is hard to imagine a world without digital technology. In our interview with Prof. Dr Jan Bieser, we discuss his view of digitalisation and the impact of digitalisation on environmental and social sustainability.

What is your view of digital transformation?

Digital transformation is not a technological process: it’s about social changes that are made possible by digital technology. My role is to ask myself how to design digitalisation so that it has a desirable impact on people and the environment.

On the one hand, digital technologies themselves require resources such as raw materials and energy in their production. This is what we call the footprint. We should keep it as small as possible. On the other hand, digital applications are changing other areas of life, which can have both positive and negative effects. We call this the handprint. A good example of this is video conferencing: when it is meant to replace a business trip, emissions can be reduced. Whereas if it is added to the business trip, then there is no reduction of emissions.

So whether a digital technology is sustainable depends on how it is used?

Exactly. This is particularly obvious in the current hot topic of artificial intelligence (AI). AI models can be used to increase solar module efficiency, optimise engines, or predict food orders, thus avoiding food waste.

However, AI is also used for individual online marketing in order to sell even more products that no one needs. We need to think more specifically about what we use AI for. AI is not an eco wonder weapon.

What would have to change for technologies such as AI to be used more resolutely for sustainable purposes?

The key factor is to have incentives. If a company extracts and sells oil, it will use AI to find more oil, which in turn will also be burnt. The same applies online on social media and e-commerce platforms. More advertising and clicks mean bigger sales and more money flowing in. And this precisely is what AI is now also being used for.

If we really want to use AI for environmental purposes, such conflicts of interest must be resolved. Things don’t just happen because we have AI.

What needs to happen at a social and political level?

Companies could adapt their business models to allow growth and environmental protection to go hand in hand. For example, subscription models for social media platforms would provide fewer incentives for the insertion of advertising, whereby users would be less influenced. However, I am doubtful that this will happen on its own, as advertising generates an incredible amount of revenue for companies.

The legislators could take action. A few Swiss cities are currently discussing a ban on advertising in public spaces, partly because advertising unnecessarily increases consumption. If this is possible in physical spaces, it should also be possible on the internet, where the problem is even more pronounced: advanced algorithms dynamically adapt messages to individual consumers and actively try to manipulate them. Moreover, so-called dark patterns are used to trick people into doing things online they don’t actually want to do.

How do technology companies deal with the issue of sustainability?

Many of the big tech companies have defined sustainability strategies, created entire divisions, and are regularly reporting on their measures. And a lot is happening here too, especially it terms of reducing one’s footprint. For example, an increasing number of tech companies are using renewable energies to reduce their carbon emissions.

However, this is not the case with handprints. Many companies like to say they’re going green, showing how their products and services can contribute to a more liveable society and to environmental protection.

However, harmful effects are completely left behind. For example, Alphabet, the company behind Google, argues that Google Maps enables eco-friendly navigation options. There is nothing wrong with that, but the fact that their main source of income, advertising, unnecessarily increases carbon emissions is not mentioned.

As digital citizens and consumers, what do we need to do?

There’s a lot we can and ought to do. We now know that the sharp increase in Internet usage has brought many problems. In his book “The Anxious Generation”, American psychologist Jonathan Haidt describes how the mental health of children and teenagers suffers as a result of their digital consumption.

We have to learn how to deal with digital addiction. The same way as we learn that too much sugar or alcohol is unhealthy. Of course, this also applies to us adults. A number of tips and tricks can help us have a more mindful digital consumption, not let our lives be taken over by the supposed aids, and thus lead a happier and more sustainable life.

How do you personally deal with the challenges of digitalisation?

Like many other people, I’m struggling. In our team (at the Institute for Public Sector Transformation), we currently use five to six digital communication tools in parallel. We need to develop rules about what is used when, and what we can do without. Otherwise, our workplace culture will be engulfed by the vast numbers of attention-grabbing notifications, pings and messages.

Two months ago, I turned off most notifications on my smartphone. This has really proven helpful. Now, I check less on my phone and am distracted less often. As might be expected, friends, family and colleagues are surprised that I don’t reply as fast as I used to. But I think it’s a good thing to let go of the pressure to always be available.

Working from home also gives me an incredible amount of flexibility. For example, I know that my thoughts are by far clearer in the morning. It is also then that I am the most productive. During that time, the last thing I want to do is sit on a crowded train. However, I have also noticed that working too often from home has a negative impact on informal communication with colleagues.