Artificial Intelligence and the Environmental Crisis-Can Technology Really Save the World?

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface 
Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Things 
Nothing new under the Sun 
Oh, for a nice cold soda: the birth of the internet of things 
The two-month, ten-man project to transform the world 
Getting to grips with the jargon: symbolic and non-symbolic AI 
Should I Stay or Should I Go? Ethics in AI 
Choosing an ethical framework 
The strange case of Asimov’s laws 
Free will and moral judgement 
The confused Owl of Minerva: dangers of a moral vacuum 
Who’s in charge of the big bad wolf? 
What should a declaration of AI rights look like? 
Gender, Race, Culture and Fear 
Gender issues in AI 
Racial issues in AI 
Cultural issues in AI 
Fear and loathing in AI 
The Thinker: Human Intelligence 
Human intelligence: Carolus Linnaeus and his wise, wise men 
So what is human intelligence? 
Philosophy and intelligence: the framing of our thoughts 
Other Modes of Intelligence: Thinking Outside the Human Box 
Animal intelligence: Machiavellian sentience and the wisdom of the swarm
Plant intelligence: headless, brainless, dispersed intelligence 
Microbial intelligence: gene-swapping revelry in the quorum 
Ecosystem intelligence: systems thinking in the cathedral of thought 
Systems are non-linear 
Systems are emergent 
Systems are sub-optimal 
Systems rely of real-time feedback 
Highway to Hell: The Existentialist Threat Facing Humankind 
A brief history of our path towards destruction 
The five clear road signs that point towards criticality 
Why ecological damage matters to us 
Adam Smith and his invisible hand 
Kuznets and his curve: how ninety five percent speculation led us badly astray 
Forget the Romans. What has AI ever done for us? 
AI and economics: the best of things or the worst of things? 
AI and society 
AI and the environment 
Technology and sustainability: bellicose bedfellows or Romeo and Juliet? 
Imagining a New World 
The swallow whose nest was stolen: a salutary tale 
Blinded by the bling: dashboard dogs and a disappearing sea 
What needs changed and what change do we need? 
The chains that bind: taking responsibility for our footprints 
The Ogiek people and the new, improved invisible hand 
Lessons from the edge of the world: The St Kildan legacy 
The Garden of Eden complex: how not to fix the world 
The three cornerstones: diversity, resilience and integration 
The central role of AI in feedback: shaping our new world 
Barriers to Change 
The five philosophical barriers 
Structural barriers to change 
The seven dragons: psychological barriers 
How AI can help overcome these barriers 
Transition 
The nature of transition 
Studies in transition 
Why societal change is key 
How to manage societal change 
Requiem for the King of Phrygia 
Glossary
References