Nnadiebube Journal of Philosophy

With the way artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly expanding today, when looked at from the angle of the structural engineering of such development, we come to realize that such innovation is contributing a large quota to giving environmental sustainability the stereotype of “a particular concern”. It should be noted that while AI systems offer significant societal and economic benefits, their underlying infrastructures, especially the engineering of data centers, which make AI work, contribute greatly to their growing carbon footprints. Using both qualitative and quantitative research methods, this paper critically examines the environmental implications of AI technologies, especially in the Global South. It argues that traditional ethical theories, such as utilitarianism and deontology, are inadequate for guiding the progress of AI innovations due to their rapidly evolving nature. It proposes a Sustainable AI Responsibility Framework (SARF) that justifies meeting the demands of AI innovations. It avers that the uniqueness of this framework is evident in its scope to incorporate and harness character formation, shared responsibility, regulatory clarity, and environmental justice. The paper concludes by recommending strategic policy structures for reducing AI’s carbon footprint, which ensures that technological progress is not achieved at the detriment of environmental sustainability.

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