Keynote

Dr. Stefanie Kunkel is an economist, sustainability scientist, and sociologist of technology. She conducts research at the Research Institute for Sustainability (RIFS) in Potsdam, focusing on how digitalisation in industry (commonly referred to as Industry 4.0) impacts the environmental sustainability of companies, sectors, and economic systems. Her work employs a range of social science methods, including interviews, document analysis, and statistical techniques. Her research investigates how the negative consequences of digitalisation for sustainability in the economy can be mitigated, while also identifying ways to strengthen its positive contributions. She is particularly interested in the trade-offs between socio-economic and ecological effects, such as the link between economic growth and the increasing demand for raw materials driven by digitalisation and AI. A key aspect of her approach is the inclusion of diverse stakeholder perspectives to foster stronger cooperation and advance sustainability goals.

At ECAI-2025, Dr. Kunkel is organising a tutorial on Environmental Values in AI Systems, which will be of particular interest to the AISE community and to scholars exploring how AI can support and impact sustainability.

More about Stefanie’s work can be found at stefaniekunkel.com