IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2020 - 24

whether it be by analyzing real-time
images and recordings of ecosystems to detect species [11] and deforestation [26], improving disaster
preparation and response by generating real-time maps from satellite
imagery [44], and even setting an
optimal price on carbon to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon
energy economy [46]. Finally, while
we are far from being able to predict
the exact impact that increasing the
carbon tax will have on the different
levels of society and industry (i.e.,
federal and regional governments,
local and international companies,
and individuals), this is a worthwhile
area of research and exploration,
with potentially huge consequences
in helping political leaders make
more informed choices in addressing the climate crisis. It is therefore
useful to continue gathering data
and building trust between members of the political ecosystem and
ML practitioners to learn from each
other and to facilitate the deployment of technological solutions in
setting government policies.
On an individual level, there
are many reasons why individuals cannot, or will not, act on climate change,
either common misconceptions regarding the fact that individuals cannot make meaningful impact on a
global problem, or cognitive biases
that increase an individual's psychological distance to climate change. In
the first case, ML-infused tools to estimate the carbon footprint of individuals and households [22] and to model
individual behavior with regards to
sustainable lifestyle choices and technologies [6] can be very useful if they
are sufficiently accurate and deployed
on a large scale. Finally, minimizing
psychological distance to the future
effects of climate change is a promising way to reduce cognitive bias - in
this regard, it is possible to use images
generated using GANs which represent the impacts of extreme events on

in which our descendants will live.
We believe that there are thought processes that should take place in the
head of every ML practitioner regarding
the nature of the work they are doing
and the potential pitfalls and impacts of
this work will have on the world around
them, some of which we have listed.
And while we do not claim to have all
the answers to these tough questions,
we hope that we can start a conversation that will accompany ML research
and practice throughout its infancy towards its tumultuous teenage years in
the coming decades, and eventually towards mature adulthood beyond that.

locations that have personal value to
the viewer [36]. A crucial part of developing ML tools for individuals is, once
again, working with multidisciplinary
experts in psychology, scientific communication, and user design to ensure
that the tools created reach the largest possible audience and maximize
their positive impact.

Using AI for a Positive
Impact on the World
Technology in general, and ML more
specifically, carry great potential for
change and disruption. While neither
of these is guaranteed to make the
world a better place, this potential
can most definitely be used to have
a positive impact on the world. We
have illustrated some inspiring projects that aim to make the world a
better place by using the powerful
techniques and approaches that ML
has brought forward. We believe that
as ML researchers and practitioners,
we have the responsibility to leverage our (super)powers to contribute
to these efforts. This can be done by
connecting with established actors
from industry and policy or experts
from other relevant disciplines, by
learning from their past experiences, and by working together
to propose innovative solutions to
major problems, deployed in places
they will have a positive impact.
We live in a world with many global
and local challenges and issues that
are in constant evolution, and it is easy
to be overwhelmed by the flux of information, and to focus on a small sandbox in which we feel safe and in control
in order to develop and study the aspects of ML that interest us most. But
it is naive to believe that our sandbox is
an isolated island that is not connected
to the rest of the world, since even in
the case of theoretical work, communication and cross-pollination are unavoidable. Each of us is also a citizen
concerned with collective debates.
Many of us also worry about the world
IEEE TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY MAGAZINE

Author Information
The authors are with the Department
of Computer Science and Operations Research and Mila Quebec AI
Institute, Université de Montréal,
Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Email:
luccionis@mila.quebec.

References
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MARCH 2020

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IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2020

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