<
https://theconversation.com/ai-could-revolutionise-environmental-planning-if-we-dont-get-trapped-in-the-iron-cage-of-rationality-232583>
"Increasingly low-cost environmental sensors coupled with AI-powered analytical
tools dangle the promise of faster and more insightful environmental planning.
The need for better decision making about the way we use ecosystems and natural
resources is even more urgent now because consenting changes proposed under the
Fast-track Approvals Bill require faster assessments.
As part of our research at Kuaha Matahiko, an open-access and collaborative
project to compile data about land and water, we found a real thirst to engage
with AI among iwi and hapū (tribal) groups.
Overstretched environmental kaitiaki (guardian) organisations saw the
possibility of AI helping to integrate fragmented environmental datasets while
also quickly and cheaply improving analytical capacity.
Based on this need, the Kuaha Matahiko project developed a working AI, trained
on environmental data from Aotearoa New Zealand. This shows a tipping point is
emerging where bespoke AI is quickly becoming a realistic option for kaitiaki
groups, even small ones.
However, care is needed. Prior experiences show algorithm-powered systems often
lock us into pathways that reproduce existing inequalities in data gathering
and foreclose imagination about outcomes.
These problems often occur because of two interlinked problems: a legacy of ad
hoc data gathering and an often misguided belief that larger data volume equals
better accuracy."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
