Advancing AI Research: An Overview of the Sustainable Computing Lab’s Initiatives

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly recognized as a pivotal force in the digital transformation era, profoundly affecting personal, business, and societal realms. The extent of AI’s influence is vast, reshaping lifestyles, work environments, and even the underpinnings of democratic systems. In this context, the Sustainable Computing Lab has positioned itself at the forefront of AI research, aligning its genesis and evolution with the exploration of AI’s multifaceted impact.

The lab’s establishment was motivated by the ambition to delve into AI research, fostering a community committed to advancing Sustainable, Human-compatible, Lawful, Accountable, and Ethical digital technologies. This focus has not only shaped the lab’s research trajectory but also guided its organization of events and initiatives aimed at amplifying the positive impact of digital technologies. Recognition from prestigious bodies, such as the Artificial Intelligence Award by the Internet Foundation Austria, underscores the significance and visibility of the lab’s contributions in this domain.

Presently, the lab is engaged in several cutting-edge AI research projects, collaborating with esteemed institutions and tackling diverse topics within the AI sphere. These include:

  1. Sustainable HALE AI: Studying the co-construction of AI technologies that are sustainable, human-compatible, accountable, lawful, and ethical.
  2. Human-compatible, value-aware, and needs-aware AI (in collaboration with George Washington University): Investigating the integration of needs and values in AI systems and building human-compatible AI.
  3. Applied AI ethics: Examining how background and context influence judgments regarding AI use in military setups.
  4. Offensive AI (in collaboration with Liechtenstein University): Understanding the use of AI for offensive purposes, the state of knowledge, and mitigation strategies.
  5. Generative AI in digital transformation: Investigating the application of generative AI models, especially large language models (LLMs), in organizational digital transformation.
  6. Assisting digital protection through generative AI: Studying how generative AI can be used to develop assistant systems for enhancing personal digital protection.

These research directions and projects exemplify the lab’s commitment to exploring and shaping the multifaceted impact of AI on society, aligning with its foundational goals of promoting sustainability, human compatibility, lawfulness, accountability, and ethics in digital technologies. Through these endeavors, the Sustainable Computing Lab continues to contribute significantly to the discourse and development of AI, reinforcing its status as a key player in the field.