On May 2nd, we will be joined by Prof. Melissa Gregg for a talk titled 'Computing after Carbon'. Melissa is an author, ethnographer and sustainability consultant focused on design and engineering initiatives to address climate change. Her research provides guidance on carbon emissions reduction, circular economy, nature-based thinking and Green UX. She is an advisor on sustainability strategy at Meta Reality Labs and Professor of Digital Futures at the University of Bristol Business School. She is also active in land and bird conservation in her home state of lutruwita/Tasmania.

Abstract:

As tech companies emerged from COVID-19, a supercharged hype-cycle focused on advancements in AI took the place of worries about return to work mandates and employees "quiet quitting." Facing scrutiny from boards and investors looking for a reliable return on investment, companies claiming to be at the forefront of progressive action on climate took an axe to their workforce, using AI competitiveness as the excuse. In so doing, some of the biggest high-tech employers lost a generation of leaders with the skills and experience to influence companies towards alternatives to personal computing paradigms inherited from the fossil-fuel era. All the while, carbon emissions from AI workloads appeared poised to place Net Zero commitments worldwide at risk.
Learning from these stories, which includes first-hand experience, this talk explores some of the limitations in sustainability strategy in corporate IT, and the challenges that the new US administration poses to climate action. It also shares positive examples of individuals and groups building alternative means to scale low carbon computing to unsettle business as usual.

Where: AUD 4 or online. Visit ccit.itu.dk/seminar-series for teams link and password.

Picture credits: USGS