How Sustainable is IoT? Do the Benefits Outweigh the Negatives? with Dr. Mike Stead & Prof. Gordon Blair

Date: Monday 12 September 2022

Time: 13:30-14:30

Sustainability and IoT – a double-edged sword?

New digital technologies are making an impact when it comes to helping us make sense of the natural environment as we try to future-proof our world in the face of climate change. Yet, our current approach of creating new but often disposable hardware and devices that generate, process and store copious amounts of data via systems like AI and ML, also raises the prospect of a technological double-edged sword. On the one hand, the knowledge and understanding afforded by adopting these new technologies can help us improve aspects of sustainability. On the other, embracing IoT, AI and related technology depletes precious resources, increases carbon emissions and leads to mountains of obsolete technology.

We are delighted to welcome Prof. Gordon Blair (School of Computing and Communications, Lancaster University) and Dr. Michael Stead (PETRAS Edge of Reality and Edge of Tomorrow projects, LICA, Lancaster University) to talk about their research into this area and discuss how we might start to mitigate the environmental problems surrounding IoT adoption and make this subject more visible to both the public and policy makers.

If you would like to discuss a particular session or you would like to develop a session of your own, please contact Claire Coulton (c.coulton@ucl.ac.uk)