Our collective understanding of what makes AI successful remains narrow and incomplete. Success in AI is often equated with technological sophistication or economic efficiency. How quickly can systems learn? How much productivity will they generate? How do they scale in specific contexts?
As Europe moves toward greater AI sovereignty, defining what societal success means has never been more crucial. Last week, our webinar titled “What is success in European AI?” set out to discuss just that.
Europe is seeking greater AI sovereignty. Yet, a shared understanding of what constitutes AI’s societal success remains elusive. In the webinar, we will address the question: How can we ensure AI contributes to social sustainability, democracy, and environmental responsibility?
There is a growing recognition that the development of AI has an environmental dimension. However, the AI industry increasingly frames efficiency gains as a step toward sustainability and greener AI. This is where Jevons paradox comes in: the more efficient and accessible AI becomes, the more it’s used, and its larger environmental footprint grows.
Project lead
Dr Elizabeth Farries
Director of the UCD Centre for Digital Policy
elizabeth.farries@ucd.ie
Lead of Communication and Impact
Johannes Mikkonen
Demos Helsinki
johannes.mikkonen@demoshelsinki.fi
Project Manager
Evangelos Papadamakis
UCD Centre for Digital Policy
vangelis.papadamakis@ucd.ie
Funded by the framework of the Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme under grant agreement Nº 101177579
