Robotics as an Enabler and Inhibitor of Sustainable Development Goals

Explore the dual impact of robotics on the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in this 57-minute talk by Vincent Mai from Montreal Robotics. Delve into a multidisciplinary analysis examining how robotics can both enable and inhibit the achievement of economic, social, and environmental SDGs. Learn about the potential of robotics to enable 46% of SDG Targets, particularly in industry and environment-related areas, through its effects on production, infrastructure, and monitoring activities. Conversely, discover how robotics could potentially inhibit 19% of SDG Targets by exacerbating inequalities and tensions. Gain insights from Mai's research, which individually examines each SDG and its Targets within the context of state-of-the-art robotics documented in scientific literature. Understand the complex relationship between technological advancement and sustainable development as presented by Mai, an AI researcher at IREQ with a background in applied reinforcement learning and AI ethics.