Paramitha Sustainability Initiative successfully held its first webinar on the 29th of November 2024, educating and raising awareness about AI technology and the legal issues surrounding sustainability. The webinar was a talk show featuring esteemed speakers and experts in the field, including Gabriella Marcelja, CEO at SG Impact Ventures AG and President of SIRIUS GLOBAL-Academic Diplomacy 4.0; Jeffri Santoso, Co-founder of Bursa Hukum; and Adeline Chin, Co-chair of the Asia-Pacific Legal Innovation and Technology Association (ALITA). The event was attended by more than 40 participants who actively engaged in the discussion.
The talk show began with a discussion about AI advancements and what they mean for the environment and sustainable development. Marcelja explained that AI is now capable of assisting with complex environmental systems and has even been recently utilized by NASA to improve human monitoring. However, she emphasized that AI could be a double-edged sword if used incorrectly. Machine learning bias remains prevalent, and collaboration across multiple sectors is essential to harness AI technology for sustainability or to support vulnerable communities. On a global scale, Marcelja mentioned the importance of international frameworks around AI to guide its use. Nonetheless, she encouraged starting small by advocating for ethical AI, increasing digital literacy, and building critical thinking.
The ethical use of AI is also a hot topic, especially when aiming to support the environment with this technology. Adeline Chin shared that ALITA provides resources to keep clients updated on the latest AI developments and promote its ethical use. She added that as society advances AI, proper legal frameworks must continue to evolve in tandem. Chin believes that AI can be very beneficial if we are willing to embrace it and learn thoroughly.
Building on the benefits of AI, Jeffri Santoso offered legal perspectives on the topic. He elaborated on the advantages of using AI in the legal field, such as increasing efficiency, drafting documents, identifying information, assisting in initial research, analyzing large datasets, and more. However, Santoso pointed out that Indonesia is not yet adequately prepared in terms of legal frameworks or AI adoption. He stressed the need to embrace AI technology as an enhancement or tool rather than a threat. Only then can we effectively leverage AI for sustainability.
PASTI would like to thank all the esteemed speakers for their insights and the attendees for joining the webinar. For more information on PASTI’s future events, follow us on Instagram @paramitha_sustainable or TikTok @paramitha.sustainable. Let’s invest together in inclusive sustainability!