Welcome Remarks   9 – 9:15 a.m. PDT

• Welcome from Santa Clara University Provost James Glaser, Markkula Center for Applied Ethics Executive Director Don Heider, and Noel Perry, Founder of Next 10.
• Brief introduction to the event from Irina Raicu, director of the Internet Ethics program at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics.

AI’s Environmental Footprint—Development and Usage   9:15 – 10:15 a.m. PDT

Emma Strubell (Carnegie Mellon/Allen Institute for AI)

What is the environmental impact of the training and widespread deployment of numerous large language models and other AI systems? What are the trends developing, and what can we anticipate for the next 5-10 years? What might organizations, governments, and individuals do in response?

Break   10:15 – 10:30 a.m. PDT

AI and Water   10:30 – 11:30 a.m. PDT

Shaolei Ren (U.C. Irvine), Iris Stewart-Frey (SCU)

Moderator: Irina Raicu

What do we know about the water usage required by AI tools? What are the environmental justice implications of this usage? How are AI developers and other stakeholders addressing this key challenge? How are impacted communities responding?

Greening AI   11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. PDT

Konstantin Klemmer (ClimateChangeAI), Shaolei Ren (U.C. Irvine), Benjamin Lee (U. of Pennsylvania), Emma Strubell (Carnegie Mellon/Allen Institute for AI)

Moderator: Ahmed Amer 

What are some current efforts to make AI more environmentally friendly? Are there corporations or other organizations that might serve as models in this context? How does the amount of research and investment in this area compare to the attention and funding focused on other AI-related efforts? What trends do you see in this space, and are there promising developments we should keep an eye on?

Lunch 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. PDT

AI for Sustainability   1:30 – 2:30 p.m. PDT

Maryam Khanbaghi (SCU), Navid Shaghaghi (SCU), Yuhong Liu (SCU), Rocio Lilen Segura (SCU)

Moderator: Brian Green 

What are some ways in which AI is currently being used to support environmental protection goals and to promote environmental justice? Do the benefits of such efforts outweigh the harms? Can that balance be improved even further? What are some promising developments and areas yet to be explored related to AI for sustainability?

AI and the Environment: Business Implications   2:30 – 3:30 p.m. PDT

Helen Popper (SCU), Joseph Keller, Hersh Shefrin (SCU), Susan Kennedy (SCU)

Moderator: Ann Skeet

How does the environmental impact of AI, in all its complexity, intersect with business ethics and economic concerns, and with various corporations’ efforts related to environmental, social, and governance issues? What duties to AI developers owe to shareholders, employees, and members of the communities in which they operate? Who are the people best positioned to help shape related business practices, and how might they do that?

Break 3:30 – 3:45

AI, Regulation, and Environmental Law   3:45 – 4:45 p.m. PDT

Tseming Yang (SCU), Betsy Popken (U.C. Berkeley Law)

Moderator: Irina Raicu 

What role does current environmental law play in addressing the environmental impacts of AI development and deployment? What are some new laws and regulations proposed in response to those impacts so far? What should we be demanding of our representatives and regulators?

Concluding Remarks  4:45 – 5 p.m. PDT

Takeaways from the day / How interested students might get more involved?