IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2020 - 15

decarbonize our society over the
coming 30 years. Doing this re--
quires global transformations in
social, economic, and governance
systems that are currently sustain-
ing our high-carbon society. AI and
digitalization are already driving
transformations in these systems at
an unprecedented scale and pace.
Digital technologies are rapidly reshaping the way we interact with
each other and the world, the way
we conduct business, and how we
govern our society.
The digital age presents power-
ful levers for the types of societal
transformations needed for de--
carbonizing our economy while
building resilience and increasing
equity. Yet, a stabilized climate
and, more broadly, global sustain-
ability are far from inevitable out-
comes of the digital revolution. In
fact, digitalization has helped
drive the exponential rise of the
human imprint on the natural envi-
ronment that now threatens life-sup-
porting Earth systems. Furthermore,
the digital revolution is raising eth-
ical and equity issues that need to
be addressed.

what to read, who to listen to, what
Digital rights should include,
to consume, and with whom to
but not be limited to: online pri-
interact. While society benefits
vacy, control over personal
tremendously from these servic-
data, control over individual
es, the economic logic of the mar-
digital identities, and freedom
kets behind them fuels inequities,
of expression.
■■ Just and Equitable Society -
encroaches on individual privacy,
AI and other digital technolo-
threatens democracy, and pro-
gies must be designed to avoid
motes unsustainable production
and consumption.
The initial prospect for
the digital age was that it
would democratize informa-
tion, improve governance
Two major forces are shaping
through broader citizen
engagement, enable a new,
the future of human civilization:
green, sharing economy, and
help to -measure and man-
anthropogenic climate change
age previously intractable
and the digital revolution.
global environmental chal-
lenges. Many of these aspira-
tions have not yet been
realized, in large part be--cause the
creating, reinforcing, or repro-
digital revolution evolved with limit-
ducing discrimination and bias.
ed governance frameworks to guide
To ensure just and equitable
its development. As a result, the digi-
digital systems, transparency in
tal age of today poses threats to indi-
the provenance of online data
vidual rights, social justice, and
and derivative information prod-
environmental sustainability.
ucts is required.
■■ Environmental SustainabiliBut it is not too late. The poten-
ty - AI and other digital technolo-
tial for leveraging the digital age to
gies must be developed in an
benefit people and the planet is
environmentally responsible
massive. To seize on this potential,
manner to minimize waste, pro-
we urgently need a social contract
tect natural resources, and
for the digital age that respects indi-
achieve net-zero carbon emis-
vidual rights, social justiceand pro-
tect s the Ea r th's life - suppor t
sions by 2050.
systems. This new social contract
Open and Transparent Access to
must be founded on the following
Data and Knowledge Critical to
three principles:

We Ask
Leaders in business, government,
and civil society to recognize that
building a climate safe and equita-
ble world requires a conscious
effort to steer the societal transfor-
mations unfolding from the devel-
opment and deployment of new
digital technologies.
Immediate action is needed in
five specific areas described below.

■■

A New Social Contract for the
Digital Age
The basic premise of the digital
economy is simple: digital services
are provided to users in exchange
for data. This data is then used to
improve services to users with tai-
lored individual preferences on
JUNE 2020

∕

Individual Digital Rights -
Support ongoing processes to
develop a universal declaration
of digital rights, as an exten-
sion of the human rights declara-
tion laid out by the United
Nations. This might include an
international convention or other
type of institution with the man-
date to implement and enforce
a digital rights declaration.

IEEE TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY MAGAZINE

Achieving Environmental
-Sustainability and Social Equity

Colossal quantities of data are pro-
duced and made accessible as a
result of the digital age. Neverthe-
less, much of the data most valu-
able for building a climate-safe and
equitable world are either not avail-
able for public use or are simply not
being collected. As AI is increasingly
turning collected data into usable
knowledge, steps that could ensure

15
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2020
