Dear Colleagues,
We are delighted to invite you to submit a paper to our panel at the upcoming 4S Annual Meeting in Seattle (2025). Titled "The Environmental Footprint of AI in the Context of the Twin Transitions: Quantification, Assessment, and Controversies" our panel critically examines the environmental implications of artificial intelligence (AI) as it intersects with the policy discourses on the so-called "twin transitions" of digitalization and sustainability.
AI is often promoted as a tool to optimize environmental management across sectors like mobility, agriculture, and construction, offering sociotechnical promises of efficiency gains and reduced emissions. However, these promises are increasingly subject to critical scrutiny, particularly in light of the environmental costs of AI’s development and deployment. The complexities of rebound effects—where efficiency gains paradoxically lead to increased resource consumption—further intensify the need for nuanced, empirically grounded analysis.
Our panel aims to explore the politics of quantification and its implications for AI governance. We welcome contributions addressing the following themes:
- Institutional responses to governance tensions around AI’s environmental footprint within the “twin transitions.”
- The mobilization of numbers by states, industries, NGOs, and think tanks to support or contest AI’s role in sustainability transitions.
- Methodological diversity and contestation in measuring AI’s environmental impact across disciplines and sectors.
Papers that address related lines of inquiry are also welcome. Selected contributions will be integrated into an editorial project advancing critical debates on AI, quantification, and environmental governance.
The session will be held in person, offering an excellent opportunity to engage with fellow researchers at the intersection of STS, governance, and technology studies.
Submission Deadline: 31st January 2025
Abstract acceptance will be notified by March 31st
We look forward to your contributions and to the discussions this panel will foster.
Warm regards,
Nicolas Baya-Laffite (University of Geneva) and Théophile Lenoir (University of Milan)