Binghamton University’s chapter of the Climate Action Campaign organized a town hall to discuss the ethics of using artificial intelligence in research and practice.

Held on Friday, the town hall featured four panelists who answered questions asked by club members and students. The four panelists were Kuang-Ching Wang, the Empire Innovation professor of Trustworthy AI and director of the School of Computing in the Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science; Christopher Swift, assistant professor of art and design; Stephanie Tulk Jesso, an assistant professor of systems science and industrial engineering; and James Pitarresi, vice provost for online and innovative education and distinguished teaching professor of mechanical engineering.

The Climate Action Campaign is a large national coalition of environmental organizations striving to “create a more resilient economy and a more sustainable future for all.” The organization primarily focuses on achieving climate action at a federal level, advocating for actions like reducing carbon pollution, creating new jobs and generating cleaner energy sources.

Nicholas Washington, president of the University’s CAC chapter and a junior majoring in mechanical engineering, said the organization aims to empower students by hosting campaigns and initiatives that connect them with the Binghamton community.

After introducing the organization and panelists, the town hall began with a question on the environment, concentrating on freshwater use restrictions and whether they should be implemented in research projects and powering data centers.

Jesso answered that in the United States, many embrace the idea that “nobody owns water,” which she said makes it difficult to decide on AI infrastructure policies that can be widely adopted across different regions. Wang then spoke from a computing researcher’s perspective, elaborating on the need for water to cool the computing systems that generate AI.

“I think as technology continues to evolve, computing is not going away, but I think there are many paths where we can understand the capacity of our environment for every single location and then set the policy that is right for that location, with the right combination of infrastructure and then the technology,” Wang said.

The panelists then discussed the integration of AI into art, particularly in potential curricula for the University’s art and design classes. Swift, who has experience in digital art tools, said it would be interesting to “train an ethical system based on work that is publicly available,” but stolen private works of artists should have no place in the art industry or teaching.

The panelists also spoke about AI policy, emphasizing the importance of young voters to make their voices heard. Pitarresi compared the recent prominence of AI and cuts to environmental regulation to a pendulum switching and that student activism contributes to it “shift[ing] back.”

“Your momentum will pull it back, but you got to vote,” Pitarresi said. “You got to make your voices heard.”

Wang also touched upon the expansion of AI into interpersonal relationships, including AI partners. He shared an anecdote about his daughter watching a show about an AI-generated boyfriend. He explained that at first, she was invested in the relationship, but soon realized that “it is a technology.”

Wang stated that AI must be recognized as a technology “just like it’s a video game,” where people choose to engage with it and must know the consequences. Jesso also discussed her belief that the rise of AI is having negative impacts on humanity.

“We’re kind of humanizing the machines, talking about how amazing they are and it’s better than, you know, whatever you get from a person,” said Jesso. “The natural consequence is the dehumanization of the humans.”

In an interview with Pipe Dream, Washington said that CAC hosted the town hall to discuss misconceptions about AI and start conversations on the topic. He said he hopes there will be future conversations about AI in the workforce, especially relating to the firing of workers for the sake of efficiency and the impact of AI on students and society as a whole.

Washington said the CAC acknowledges the presence and permanence of AI and notes the importance of continuous conversations about how to live with the technology and regulate it.

“AI is already here,” Washington said. “It generally will be here to stay. And while we can all have our individual feelings about it, the way that it will be embraced is a conversation we have to have. Essentially, we are making the road as we walk, because it is such a