Over the years, my views on sustainable and ethical data and AI have evolved both personally and professionally. This fall, I've conducted a few trainings and delivered speeches on the topic. These engagements have pushed me to refine and articulate my accumulated insights on data and AI sustainability, as well as the essence of our Integrated Data Balance Sheet voluntary reporting framework.
Data and AI sustainability revolves around the fairness, ethics, and impact of data-driven value creation, whether in a private company or an organization. Merely complying with regulations, such as the EU Data Regulation Portfolio, is just the starting point.
Truly sustainable data actors aim much higher. They focus on genuine data value exchange (e.g., reducing digital asymmetry), environmental and societal impacts, and actively incorporate ethical considerations in data science practices and applications.
The primary ethos for data-sustainable companies and organizations is rooted in transparency, understandability, and accountability. These three pillars are the main drivers of trust in a fair and inclusive data economy. In such an economy, companies can expand their value creation beyond their own confines, benefiting individuals, societies, and other organizations.
Currently, a handful of players in Finland have embarked on this journey, and I am hopeful that many more will follow suit.
If you're interested to see some key picks of our line of thought, I welcome you to check the presentation I gave earlier this week at Mindtrek Conference in Tampere.
Thanks TIEKE Tietoyhteiskunnan kehittämiskeskus ry, Hanna Niemi-Hugaerts and Mikko Eloholma for discussions and the opportunity and Taneli Hassinen for co-development.