AI, Infrastructures and Sustainability
- Date
- 2 September 2026
- Time
- 20:00
- Location
- SPUI25
Join us for the book launch ‘AI, Infrastructures and Sustainability’, an event that explores the
material, political, and environmental realities behind today’s AI systems. The book explores critical issues, such as the environmental degradation, economicconcentration, and social justice of AI infrastructure, areas that have often been overlooked in discussion on sustainability.
The environmental impacts of data centres, the factories of AI, have been extensively documented.
Despite this, the European Commission aims to triple the number of data centres operating within
the EU, relying primarily on efficiency–based measures to control environmental harm. This
“sustainability through optimization” approach flawed and does not account for AI’s supply chain of violence. So why are we deepening conflicts across the globe to build places where machines thrive?
During this event, editors Anne Mollen and Fieke Jansen, will introduce the ideas and motivations
behind ‘AI, Infrastructure, and sustainability’, reflecting on what the material nature, political
economy, and governance of AI reveal about its broader societal consequences. Contributing authors Anne Mollen, Patrick Brodie, and Gerwin van Schie will furhter explore the power structures, environmental impact, and knowledge implications of AI infrastructures.
SPUI25 is the academic-cultural podium of Amsterdam. Since 2007, we have been giving scientists, authors, artists and other thinkers the opportunity to shine a light on issues that occupy, inspire or concern them. In cooperation with a large number of academic and cultural partners, we organize between 250 and 300 freely accessible programs per year. These are enriching, often interdisciplinary programs that move between science and culture, fact and fiction.
SPUI25 is one of the UvA-podia in the University Quarter.
