Workshop KIT-KREIS at INFORMATIK25

Information on the workshop KIT-KREIS at the INFORMATIK25-conference.

German Title

KIT-KREIS: KI für die Transformation zur Kreislaufwirtschaft - Das strategische Dreieck

English Workshop Theme (updated)

AI, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Economic Planning for a good life for all in Planetary Boundaries

Short description of the content (updated)

In this workshop, we will discuss how AI, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), and cybernetic economic planning can contribute to the socio-ecological transformation towards a circular economy within planetary boundaries. Four short scientific presentations will be followed by an interactive programming session. The range of discussion stretches from possible reforms of the current economic system to its (potentially disruptive) transformation towards a completely different economic mode of production. As social and ecological crises worsen, fundamental doubt arises if the structural logic of capitalism makes it possible to overcome these crises.

At the same time, AI, cybernetics, system models, and socio-ecological databases open up possibilities to address questions of a complex, fully circular economy directly. In recent years, debates on abstract and concrete drafts of economic democratization based on decentralized democratic economic planning (DEP) have gained momentum. Identifying workable ways in which resources can be used through economic, technological, and social practices to meet human needs within ecological limits is a challenge which could be solved by linking these innovative approaches.

On the basis of recent modeling approaches, databases and still unanswered questions, we would like to invite you to a discussion and further development of such ideas for a democratic economic system respecting planetary boundaries.

Speakers and Topics of the Talks

Manuel Gambert: How we plan at the moment - and why
Bartolomeus Häussling Löwgren: Moving towards planning for human needs within ecological limits
Walther Zeug: Cybernetic Demoratic Economic Planning
Johannes Buchner: Reinforcement Learning, Circular Economy and the Strategic Triangle of AI for Sustainability
(partly based on the article Reinforcement Learning and Life Cycle Assessment for a Circular Economy - Towards Absolute Sustainability)

Organising Team

Johannes Buchner, IPE Berlin and Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, FU Berlin
Manuel Gambert, Computer Scientist and Economist, PRODATO Integration Technology GmbH, Nürnberg
Bartolomeus Häussling Löwgren, Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML), Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands
Eric Meier, INDEP - International Network for Democratic Economic Planning, Bonn
Immanuel Thoke, ScaDS.AI and Department for Statistical Learning, Leipzig University
Walther Zeug, Helmholtz-Center for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig

Additional information

In the workshop, we aim to bring together scientists working on Postcapitalist Economic Systems with a wider audience of critical computer scientists. To get an impression of the field and the topics that will be discussed at the workshop, see e.g. the podcast episode on Postcapitalist Economic Systems (in German).