News

Prof. Phoebe Koundouri, Chair of the (SDSN) Global Climate Hub and Professor of Economics at the Athens University of Economics and Business, will be speaking at the session “Smart Tech, Fair Finance – The Promise and Risks of AI for Sustainable Development”, organized by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). The event will take place during the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4) in Seville, Spain, on July 2, 2025, at 3:30 PM EEST. The session will also be accessible online.

As digital technologies and artificial intelligence increasingly shape global economic and social systems, this session will examine the urgent need for responsible AI governance and inclusive digital standards. The discussion will focus on strategic investments in digital infrastructure, the ethical deployment of AI, the integration of climate-smart technologies, and the significant risks of digital exclusion and unintended societal harms stemming from poorly governed digital systems.

Distinguished speakers in the session include:

• Virginia Dignum (Moderator) – Co-Chair, ACM Technology Policy Council; Professor of Responsible AI, Umeå University, Sweden
• Yannis Ioannidis (Moderator) – ACM President; Professor of Informatics, University of Athens, Greece
• Mohan Kankanhalli (Keynote) – Member, ACM Technology Policy Council; Professor of Computer Science, National University of Singapore
• Phoebe Koundouri – Chair, UN SDSN Global Climate Hub; Professor of Economics, Athens University of Economics and Business, Greece
• Jeanna Matthews – Co-Chair, ACM Technology Policy Council; Professor of Computer Science, Clarkson University, USA
• Lan Xue – Professor of Public Policy and Dean, Schwarzman College, Tsinghua University, China
• Michael MacFarland – CEO, DTVP; Former Principal Business Architect, Fannie Mae, USA

Registration for online participation is available at:https://events.zoom.us/ev/AtWpy--Fy1Dnof8YUAR-WT9HZm7A9DihcZhSk1sUb_gfQdYkgOBV~Atso7XxlOnRFjZHIOvQnBYaB3yERveLHTdTO7y4LBqQkMmzSSsh_kmXoIw

This event is organized with contributions from:
AE4RIA – Alliance of Excellence for Research and Innovation on Aephoria
ReSEES – Research Laboratory at the Department of International and European Economic Studies, Athens University of Economics and Business
SDSN Global Climate Hub
Sustainable Development Unit – ATHENA Research Center