Aligning AI and Sustainability

In this course we will investigate the environmental sustainability implications of technology deployment. In this moment of widespread proliferation of digital infrastructure (such as hyperscale data centers and the spike in demand for electricity and water to power them), students will explore the promises and pitfalls of tech adoption and ecological sustainability. The course will include lectures, guest speakers, group projects, student-led discussions, and a final project in which students will propose an approach for aligning a data center development with sustainability goals to a fictional tech company board.



Tim Profeta is an Executive in Residence and the founding Director of the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment and Sustainability at Duke University. In addition to his leadership at Duke, Tim has served at high levels in all three branches of the federal government over his career, including positions as the Special Counsel for the Power Sector at U.S.E.P.A. and the Counsel for the Environment to Senator Joseph I. Lieberman.