Turin AISRe Conference 2024: Lectio Magistralis Prof. Elizabeth Mack

The AISRe Conference to be held in Turin, Italy, September 4-6, 2024, offers a rich program with more than 500 contributions, distributed in Organized and Spontaneous Sessions, Plenary Sessions and Roundtables.

As a preview, we present the abstract of the Lectio Magistralis

Is a Digital, Green Economy Possible? A Policy Agenda for Advancing Digital and Circular Transformation

Prof. Elizabeth Mack

Department of Geography, Environment, and Spatial Sciences – Michigan State University

Innovations in digital technologies ranging from smart phones, artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous vehicles and blockchain technologies have transformed the global economy from a paper-based, people centric economy to one that is moving towards the purely digital. The extent that this transformation has transpired however is place-based. Thus, it may be useful to think of places on a digital continuum; some locations are more paper and people centric, while others are almost entirely digital. This digital transformation has wide-ranging impacts on almost every aspect of life that ranges how we live, work and play. It also poses challenges for territorial governance and infrastructure investments. An increasingly visible but less frequently recognized challenge of digital transformations is its impact on the ability of places to achieve green growth and circular transformation. Digital transformations generate more electronic waste (e-waste), are more energy intensive, and promote the consumption of non-renewable resources. Therefore, to be more sustainable, the pursuit of digital progress much also consider progress towards circular economies. This talk will discuss the problems and prospects of economic transitions that are both green and digital, as well as current European policies for reducing waste related to digitization.