The role of Environmental Sustainability in the AI Act

What happens when AI technologies manage workers instead of human employers? Can AI help fight climate change while also fuelling new forms of environmental exploitation? Will “smart cities” empower citizens, or silently erode civic trust? This book captures the AI Dialogues held during KU Leuven’s 600th anniversary, where scholars, practitioners, and policymakers from across Europe, the U.S., Australia, China, and Africa explored how algorithms shape labour, sustainability, and urban life. Through lectures, working sections, and debates, the opportunities and risks of AI were discussed: from reshaping employment to the ecological costs. The volume brings together these diverse perspectives in a shared call for democratic, ethical, and sustainable approaches to AI—ensuring innovation truly serves the public good.