Sheila Jasanoff, Erik Swyngedouw and Paul Stein discuss the ecological impact of the AI tech boom.
Will tech leaders invest in clean tech, or will AI destroy the planet?
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Central to Western thought has been the idea that through science and technology, we can understand the world and improve our circumstances. Green tech is seemingly a contemporary example, aiming to provide a clean solution to our energy needs. But critics argue the solution is flawed. The production of solar panels, wind turbines, and batteries is energy-intensive, fossil fuel-reliant, and generates toxic waste. Electric cars require six times the mineral inputs of conventional ones. Demand for the resources is generating international tension and encouraging land grabs for supplies across Africa, South America, as well as US-backed deals to control Ukrainian mines.
Is it a mistake to see science and technology as the primary means to solve our problems? Does technology necessarily bring its own risks and embed an exploitative relation to the natural world? Or is it the miraculous means by which human experience has been transformed from short lives devoted to finding food, shelter, and safety to ones where every day needs and comforts are provided for the great majority?
#greentechnology #nuclearpower #sustainability
Erik Swyngedouw is a leading critical geographer at the University of Manchester. He combines political ecology and economics with analyses of contemporary capitalism, showing how urbanisation, water, and governance are entwined with power and democracy.
Harvard scholar Sheila Jasanoff is one of the most influential voices in Science and Technology Studies, dismantling the myth that science and technology operate above human choices, cultural assumptions, and political power.
Paul Stein is one of the most influential engineers of his generation, shaping aerospace and energy as former CTO of Rolls-Royce and co-founder of Floral Energy. His work links technological innovation to climate action and national strategy.
Hosted by Isabel Woodford.
00:00 Intro
00:36 Sheila Jasanoff on the fetishisation of AI
02:59 How do we advocate for responsible innovation?
04:40 Erik Swyngedouw on the global disaster caused by AI
08:38 Paul Stein on small nuclear reactors for AI power
11:20 Why are we so obsessed with the promises of AI?
14:00 AI companies will fund clean tech for the rest of us
15:27 AI leaders are also investing in escapism technology
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