scholarly journals Ordering Artificial Intelligence Based Recommendations to Tackle the SDGs with a Decision-Making Model Based on Surveys

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 6038
Author(s):  
Sergio Alonso ◽  
Rosana Montes ◽  
Daniel Molina ◽  
Iván Palomares ◽  
Eugenio Martínez-Cámara ◽  
...  

The United Nations Agenda 2030 established 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a guideline to guarantee a sustainable worldwide development. Recent advances in artificial intelligence and other digital technologies have already changed several areas of modern society, and they could be very useful to reach these sustainable goals. In this paper we propose a novel decision making model based on surveys that ranks recommendations on the use of different artificial intelligence and related technologies to achieve the SDGs. According to the surveys, our decision making method is able to determine which of these technologies are worth investing in to lead new research to successfully tackle with sustainability challenges.

2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (O1) ◽  
pp. 36-40
Author(s):  
Friederike Rohde ◽  
Maike Gossen ◽  
Josephin Wagner ◽  
Tilman Santarius

Automated decision-making based on Artificial Intelligence is associated with growing expectations and is to contribute to sustainable development goals. Which opportunities and risks for the environment, economy and society are associated with Artificial Intelligence-based applications and how can they be governed?


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (24) ◽  
pp. 13669
Author(s):  
Angélica Pigola ◽  
Priscila Rezende da Costa ◽  
Luísa Cagica Carvalho ◽  
Luciano Ferreira da Silva ◽  
Cláudia Terezinha Kniess ◽  
...  

Innovativeness is a characteristic of digital technologies (DT), and they have been assuming an important role in economic, social, and environmental dimensions. Therefore, DT are relevant contributors for sustainable development goal (SDG) achievements. This study aims to compare the preference for artificial intelligence-driven digital technologies (AI-Driven DT) to achieve SDGs in Brazil and Portugal. An independent sample t-test analysis and Levene test are performed to identify potential artificial intelligence-driven digital technologies (AI-Driven DT) as favorable facilitators for SDG achievements in Brazil and Portugal. Based on the findings, a broader analysis is provided, to (i) indicate potential favorable SDGs, (ii) discuss differences between the countries in AI-Driven DT preferences in each SDG, and (iii) make recommendations for potential technologies that could receive more attention and investments in both regions to make emergent digital technologies succeed, with a particular emphasis on cleaner production. The analysis is organized into three dimensions: economic, social, and environment. At the end, a closing discussion is provided about the key guidelines and prospects that could be adopted to keep a strong and positive shift of AI-Driven DT developments and applications towards fully supporting the attainment of the SDG of United Nations Organization (ONU) Agenda 2030.


2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-64
Author(s):  
Sthéfano Bruno Santos Divino

RESUMOO presente artigo tem como problema de pesquisa o seguinte questionamento: como a Inteligência Artificial (IA) pode contribuir para o cumprimento das metas da Agenda 2030 para o Desenvolvimento sustentável? A primeira seção se incumbe da demonstração das possíveis utilizações da IA para o efetivo atingimento dos Objetivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável (ODS). Neste momento, destacam-se os aspectos positivos e os aspectos negativos na utilização da IA. Na segunda seção, realiza-se um estudo sobre os atos normativos de alguns países sobre as possíveis implicações negativas e regulamentais da IA para com a sociedade. Para tanto, utiliza-se os métodos dedutivo e de pesquisa integrada. Ao final, demonstra-se que a IA apresenta-se como importante fator da equação posta pela Agenda 2030, desde que devidamente observada e regulada.PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Agenda 2030; Inteligência Artificial; Desenvolvimento Sustentável. ABSTRACTThis article has as a research problem the following question: how can Artificial Intelligence (AI) contribute to meeting the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development? The first section is responsible for demonstrating the possible uses of AI for the effective achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). At this moment, the positive and negative aspects in the use of AI are highlighted. In the second section, a study is carried out on the normative acts of some countries on the possible negative and regulatory implications of AI for society. For this, the deductive and integrated research methods are used. In the end, it is shown that AI presents itself as an important factor in the equation posed by Agenda 2030, as long as it is properly observed and regulated.Keywords: Agenda 2030; Artificial intelligence; Sustainable development.


2020 ◽  
Vol 786 (11) ◽  
pp. 47-53
Author(s):  
A.V. DERBENEV ◽  
◽  
D.M. VADIVASOV ◽  

Environmental protection, climate change, and the protection of the planet’s biodiversity are becoming top priorities in modern society. Environmental agreements, while important and necessary, including for achieving sustainable development goals, impose additional restrictions on products and producers of these products. These restrictions can be used by countries to create barriers to the import of construction materials. Countries that have ratified environmental agreements may restrict the import of products that do not meet environmental requirements or criteria in one way or another. International environmental management tools are described, in particular environmental and climate declarations, which can serve as tools for solving the problem of possible restrictions and barriers in the export of construction materials produced in the Russian Federation.


Disabilities ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 202-217
Author(s):  
Joanne McVeigh ◽  
Malcolm MacLachlan ◽  
Delia Ferri ◽  
Hasheem Mannan

The participation of organisations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) is crucial at each stage of policy processes at the local, regional, and international levels. However, decision-making mechanisms have traditionally excluded OPDs, failing to consult with them on decisions that impact on their daily lives. The overall aim of this study was to examine the participation of persons with disabilities and OPDs in development programmes and policies by exploring recommendations from a sample of OPDs on ways to strengthen their participation with government and the UN. Secondary data analysis was conducted using a global survey on the participation of OPDs, administered by the International Disability Alliance to OPD representatives. Two open-ended items were analysed, which explored participants’ recommendations on ways to strengthen their participation with government and the UN. Data were analysed using the descriptive and interpretive qualitative methods. Respondents provided recommendations on how to strengthen their participation with their national government and the UN, focusing on several issues including accessibility, human rights, and the need for inclusion of all OPDs and all groups of persons with disabilities. The synergy between the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Sustainable Development Goals presents opportunities for OPDs to increase their participation in development policies and programmes. It is vital, however, to dismantle the barriers to participation in decision-making by OPDs and persons with disabilities.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 8503
Author(s):  
Henrik Skaug Sætra

Artificial intelligence (AI) now permeates all aspects of modern society, and we are simultaneously seeing an increased focus on issues of sustainability in all human activities. All major corporations are now expected to account for their environmental and social footprint and to disclose and report on their activities. This is carried out through a diverse set of standards, frameworks, and metrics related to what is referred to as ESG (environment, social, governance), which is now, increasingly often, replacing the older term CSR (corporate social responsibility). The challenge addressed in this article is that none of these frameworks sufficiently capture the nature of the sustainability related impacts of AI. This creates a situation in which companies are not incentivised to properly analyse such impacts. Simultaneously, it allows the companies that are aware of negative impacts to not disclose them. This article proposes a framework for evaluating and disclosing ESG related AI impacts based on the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The core of the framework is here presented, with examples of how it forces an examination of micro, meso, and macro level impacts, a consideration of both negative and positive impacts, and accounting for ripple effects and interlinkages between the different impacts. Such a framework helps make analyses of AI related ESG impacts more structured and systematic, more transparent, and it allows companies to draw on research in AI ethics in such evaluations. In the closing section, Microsoft’s sustainability reporting from 2018 and 2019 is used as an example of how sustainability reporting is currently carried out, and how it might be improved by using the approach here advocated.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 4129
Author(s):  
Manuel Sousa ◽  
Maria Fatima Almeida ◽  
Rodrigo Calili

Multiple-criteria decision making (MCDM) methods have been widely employed in various fields and disciplines, including decision problems regarding Sustainable Development (SD) issues. The main objective of this paper is to present a systematic literature review (SLR) on MCDM methods supporting decisions focusing on the achievement of UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in regional, national, or local contexts. In this regard, 143 published scientific articles from 2016 to 2020 were retrieved from the Scopus database, selected and reviewed. They were categorized according to the decision problem associated with SDGs issues, the MCDM methodological approach, including the use (or not) of fuzzy set theory, sensitivity analysis, and multistakeholder approaches, the context of MCDM applications, and the MCDM classification (if utility-based, compromise, multi-objective, outranking, or other MCDM methods). The widespread adoption of MCDM methods in complex contexts confirms that they can help decision-makers solve multidimensional problems associated with key issues within the 2030 Agenda framework. Besides, the state-of-art review provides an improved understanding of this research field and directions for building a research agenda for those interested in advancing the research on MCDM applications in issues associated with the 2030 Agenda framework.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 5514
Author(s):  
Irantzu Recalde-Esnoz ◽  
Daniel Ferrández ◽  
Carlos Morón ◽  
Guadalupe Dorado

The building sector is one of the most relevant at world level in view of the percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) concerned, as well as the number of new jobs created. Nevertheless, it is a completely male-dominated industry. Different institutions and organisms, such as the Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals, struggle to reduce gender inequality in different environments, including the working one. Aligned with these goals, this study provides the data exploited from the first survey regarding gender inequality within the professionals of the building engineering field in the Spanish population as a whole. This survey was developed in 2018 by the Spanish General Council of Technical Architecture and it was sent to its members. The sample involved 1353 cases. For this data mining, bivariate analyses were conducted in order to subsequently carry out a factor analysis and the socio–demographic composition of the dimensions found. Results exposed statistically meaningful differences in the eyes of women and men about those factors which facilitate practice and continuity in the profession. The most relevant conclusions drawn from the factor analysis reflect the existence of three factors: (1) work competences, (2) social capital and (3) physical appearance and being a man, dimensions in which women and men’s opinion was unevenly distributed.


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