SPEAKERS
 Yaxi Deng |
DESCRIPTION
This final panel takes a holistic view of AI’s impact, looking beyond economics and education to culture and the environment. For the Global Majority, heritage and ecology are often deeply intertwined with identity and survival. This session explores how AI is being used to preserve cultural heritage (such as digitizing ancient texts or reconstructing historical sites) and protect natural ecologies (such as using computer vision to track deforestation or poaching).
However, it also addresses the risks. The panel will discuss the threat of "cultural homogenization," where global AI models flatten diverse cultural expressions into a single, dominant narrative. It will also look at the environmental cost of AI (the massive energy consumption of data centers) which disproportionately affects the Global Majority through climate change. The session aims to balance the narrative, showing how AI can be a powerful tool for conservation and cultural preservation if deployed ethically. It calls for "ecological AI" and "culturally responsive AI" that respects the heritage and natural resources of the Global Majority, ensuring that technological progress does not come at the cost of the planet or our diverse human history.
This session is part of the UNU Macau AI Conference 2026.
To view the full program, please visit the program page.
To join the Conference, please visit the registration page.
AI × Education: AI for Learning, Learning for AI
Nov. 25-26, 2026 | Macau SAR, China
AI Conference 2026 | AI for SDGs - Global Youth AI Future Innovation Competition | AI × Education Workshops
