The AI Paradox in the Built Environment: Innovation, Impact, and Responsibility

The built environment—encompassing buildings, infrastructure, and energy systems—accounts for approximately 38% of global carbon emissions. At the same time, artificial intelligence is rapidly expanding as both a driver of efficiency and a significant consumer of energy, particularly through data centers and computational demand. This creates a fundamental paradox: AI has the potential to dramatically improve health outcomes and sustainability through optimization, prediction, and smarter design, yet it also contributes to environmental impact and resource consumption. This panel will explore the dynamic interactions between the built environment, AI, and outcomes such as health, sustainability, and equity. We will examine both the positive and negative contributions of AI, drawing on real-world examples—from projects like our Center for Data Sciences and computing, where AI-enabled design achieved net-negative carbon impact, to the growing energy demands associated with AI-driven technologies and their impact on health, society and sustainable development. Ultimately, we will discuss how construction project management practices, informed decision-making, and responsible AI deployment can help shift this balance—leveraging AI not as a liability, but as a force for healthier, more sustainable built environment projects.

When 12:15 pm - 6:00 pm on 7 April 2026
Building 1010 Commonwealth Avenue
Contact Organization BU Metropolitan College and BU School of Public Health
Fees free
Open To public