Summary Reader's Response #1
In the article “A Little Robot That Cleans the Beach, One Butt at a Time”(2021) by Monica, talks about an Artificial Intelligence (AI) beach buggy robot named BeachBot in short for BB, has a very distinct goal, which is to clean up all cigarette butts on the beach. However, as stated in the article, in the midst of the World Cleanup Day in September 2020, the BB is only able to scoop up 10 cigarette butts in 30 minutes, 175 thousand cigarette butts per year, which is clearly not enough to cover for the number of cigarette butts littered yearly which is at 4.5 trillion per year. Therefore, the BB's aim is to be able to make an effort in clearing some of the 4.5trillion cigarettes unethically thrown per year.
Firstly, BB's robotic eyes are specifically made to look for cigarette butts on the beach based on their "size, shape, and angle they land on the sand" while not stuck in any other trash. It will then use its "image-detection algorithm" from the 2,000 images that TechTic, a company that made BB, paid to contributors of the images and learn how to look for cigarette butts. TechTics also has smaller robots that help to locate the cigarette butts and notify BB to allow BB to clean them up.
Secondly, based on an article by Tik Root (2019), cigarette butts pollute the sea and are hazardous to the sea creatures. Cigarette filters are made of a plastic called cellulose acetate. "When tossed into the environment, they dump not only that plastic, but also the nicotine, heavy metals, and many other chemicals they’ve absorbed into the surrounding environment." Furthermore, the cigarette butts look like food on the sea surface for the sea creatures which can be dangerous if the sea creatures ingest them.
Thirdly, based on an article by Glenn Gow (2020), AI can positively impact on our environments in agriculture, energy, transportation, water resource management, manufacturing, facilities management and materials science. AI can help to reduce the impact of our company's contribution towards carbon footprints. In another article, renowned AI ethicist Mark Coeckelbergh also suggests using AI to solve our environmental and climate issues. Hence, we can all agree that BB will be able to increase its productivity as AI progresses to be more advanced in the future.
However, AI can also cause carbon footprint to increase. In the article by Glenn Gow states that AI also produces and increases carbon footprints despite the fact that it is trying to reduce carbon footprint. Furthermore,"just because the most common methods of AI today aren't significant carbon producers, doesn't mean they might not become serious contributors in the future". In addition, BB is not able to sustain forever and needs some form of charging of batteries. Hence, we can all agree that carbon footprints are bound to be produced from the AI and their batteries are not 24-7 powered.
In conclusion, cigarettes have harmful effects on human bodies. However, some of us still smoke and litter the cigarette butts. Artificial Intelligence like BB is able to help reduce cigarette butts despite the fact that it might also cause some form of carbon emission. However, I do believe that in the future we will be able to invent an AI that could solve our environmental pollution problems and at the same time keep its carbon footprint emission at its lowest.
References:
Glenn Gow, (2020 August 21) https://www.forbes.com/sites/glenngow/2020/08/21/environmental-sustainability-and-ai/?sh=64bc21b97db3
Monica Gonderman, (2021) https://www.motortrend.com/news/beachbot-ai-robot-techtics-cleans-cigarette-butts-beach/
Tik Root, (2019 August 9) https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/cigarettes-story-of-plastic
van Wynsberghe, A. Sustainable AI: AI for sustainability and the sustainability of AI. AI Ethics 1, 213–218 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43681-021-00043-6
Firstly, BB's robotic eyes are specifically made to look for cigarette butts on the beach based on their "size, shape, and angle they land on the sand" while not stuck in any other trash. It will then use its "image-detection algorithm" from the 2,000 images that TechTic, a company that made BB, paid to contributors of the images and learn how to look for cigarette butts. TechTics also has smaller robots that help to locate the cigarette butts and notify BB to allow BB to clean them up.
Secondly, based on an article by Tik Root (2019), cigarette butts pollute the sea and are hazardous to the sea creatures. Cigarette filters are made of a plastic called cellulose acetate. "When tossed into the environment, they dump not only that plastic, but also the nicotine, heavy metals, and many other chemicals they’ve absorbed into the surrounding environment." Furthermore, the cigarette butts look like food on the sea surface for the sea creatures which can be dangerous if the sea creatures ingest them.
Thirdly, based on an article by Glenn Gow (2020), AI can positively impact on our environments in agriculture, energy, transportation, water resource management, manufacturing, facilities management and materials science. AI can help to reduce the impact of our company's contribution towards carbon footprints. In another article, renowned AI ethicist Mark Coeckelbergh also suggests using AI to solve our environmental and climate issues. Hence, we can all agree that BB will be able to increase its productivity as AI progresses to be more advanced in the future.
However, AI can also cause carbon footprint to increase. In the article by Glenn Gow states that AI also produces and increases carbon footprints despite the fact that it is trying to reduce carbon footprint. Furthermore,"just because the most common methods of AI today aren't significant carbon producers, doesn't mean they might not become serious contributors in the future". In addition, BB is not able to sustain forever and needs some form of charging of batteries. Hence, we can all agree that carbon footprints are bound to be produced from the AI and their batteries are not 24-7 powered.
In conclusion, cigarettes have harmful effects on human bodies. However, some of us still smoke and litter the cigarette butts. Artificial Intelligence like BB is able to help reduce cigarette butts despite the fact that it might also cause some form of carbon emission. However, I do believe that in the future we will be able to invent an AI that could solve our environmental pollution problems and at the same time keep its carbon footprint emission at its lowest.
References:
Glenn Gow, (2020 August 21) https://www.forbes.com/sites/glenngow/2020/08/21/environmental-sustainability-and-ai/?sh=64bc21b97db3
Monica Gonderman, (2021) https://www.motortrend.com/news/beachbot-ai-robot-techtics-cleans-cigarette-butts-beach/
Tik Root, (2019 August 9) https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/cigarettes-story-of-plastic
van Wynsberghe, A. Sustainable AI: AI for sustainability and the sustainability of AI. AI Ethics 1, 213–218 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43681-021-00043-6
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