Seminar: "The economic alignment problem of artificial intelligence", by Dan O'Neill
Event details
- Start: 07 May 2026 12:30
The REAL-Postgrowth project (Post-growth – REAL – A Post-Growth Deal) is excited to announce that Dan O'Neill, from the Universitat de Barcelona, will present a public talk as part of our monthly public seminar series. It can also be followed online.
Seminar: "The economic alignment problem of artificial intelligence"
Speaker: Dan O’Neill, Professor of Ecological Economics at the University of Barcelona
Facilitator: Giorgos Kallis, ICREA professors at ICTA-UAB
- Date: Thursday, May 7th, 2026
- Time: 12.30 - 13.30 (CET)
- Venue: Sala Montseny (Z/022 & Z/023) ICTA-UAB and online: https://zoom.us/j/98915607367?pwd=MbLawdtnAasqSeLjpiP3FMbdAHtHud.1
Artificial intelligence (AI) is advancing exponentially, and is likely to have profound impacts on human wellbeing, social equity, and environmental sustainability. Yet there has been little research exploring what AI could mean for post-growth, or vice-versa. Within this talk, I argue that the “alignment problem” in AI research — that is, the challenge of ensuring that AI systems do not produce unintended or harmful outcomes — is also an economic alignment problem, as developing advanced AI within a growth-oriented economic system is likely to increase social, environmental, and existential risks. I show that post-growth research offers concepts and policies that could substantially reduce AI risks, and argue that the development of artificial general intelligence (AGI) requires new economic theories and models, for which post-growth scholarship provides a strong foundation.
Dan O’Neill is a Professor of Ecological Economics at the University of Barcelona, where he coordinates the MAPS Project (Models, Assessment, and Policies for Sustainability) with Federico Demaria. His research integrates three main areas: (1) measuring the environmental and social sustainability of societies, (2) modelling policies to achieve a post-growth economy, (3) and assessing the impacts of artificial intelligence development.