Enabling a Sustainable Digital Transformation

The digital age has arrived. The fourth industrial revolution—driven by artificial intelligence (AI) combined with a fusion of cutting-edge technologies—is blurring the boundaries between the physical and digital worlds. Accelerated by the recent pandemic, digitalization has become ubiquitous in daily life, reshaping how we work and radically transforming business. Yet this digital and AI-driven transformation brings both opportunities and risks. The World Economic Forum estimates that digital technologies could help reduce up to 20 percent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050. At the same time, the rapid expansion of digitalization has far-reaching negative impacts on both the environment and society. The ever-growing carbon footprint of the digital sector (hardware, software, networks, and data centers) already exceeds that of aviation. Meanwhile, the rise of AI has introduced a new wave of complex societal and ethical concerns. Further understanding of such risks is imperative to make AI truly sustainable in the future. This course introduces students to the sustainability challenges associated with digital technologies, including AI. We explore environmentally and socially responsible uses of digital tools, covering topics including digital carbon footprints, the promise of clean AI and energy-aware computing, the environmental costs of digital assets such as cryptocurrency, the deepening digital divide, digital repression and surveillance, and the rising tide of climate change disinformation. This course also examines the taxonomy of digital justice, with a focus on ethical issues of emerging technologies. Drawing on real-world case studies and insights from practitioners, students engage in a live-learning experience that combines peer collaboration with individual activities.