DETAILLs

DEsign Tools of AI in Sustainability Living Labs

DETAILLs aims to increase the number of HE students capable of designing sustainable products with AI and sustainability focus, through a new Living Lab model (DETAILLs Living Lab).

The motivation behind this project is to address the pressing need for sustainable development and supports the university's efforts to foster a generation of professionals who can apply Artificial Intelligence (AI) based design methods in their work. The need to rethink and re-design current products is emphasized by the European Commission to meet sustainable development goals and zero-emission strategies (Circular by Design, https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/circular-bydesign). While this needs to rethink products is critical, it requires students and professionals to move away from current patterns. In this context, Artificial Intelligence (AI) can support the exploration of the design space by discovering solutions that cannot be easily anticipated by human designers. To contribute to this global effort, the proposed project aims to prepare HE students for the use of AI-based design methods that support sustainable design practices through the development of a new AI-sustainability competence-centered Living Lab (LL) model. 

Living Labs today bring together researchers, students, businesses, and end-users to co-create innovative solutions to real-world problems. They provide a place for stakeholders to share their knowledge and collaborate on the development of new solutions. A primary motivation of this project is to clarify the role of AI methods and tools in the design context. With these tools,
companies will be supported in the design of sustainable products, since it will be possible to adopt a data-driven an holistic view of the design decisions. The project places significant emphasis on strengthening the role of universities as knowledge hubs. Empowering universities and their students ensures that AI-sustainable design practices continue to evolve through academic research and development, fostering a collaborative ecosystem where universities and companies grow.

From an academic perspective, the project creates a teaching framework that can be exported and adapted to different European university contexts. The framework provides universities with a practical method to include into their existing curricula sustainable design practices driven by AI methods with ease and without extensive resource allocation. From an industry perspective, the project provides practical design-methods based on AI technologies that can be easily integrated into decision-making processes to empower the design and redesign of sustainable products, services, and processes that meet customers' expectations and regulatory requirements. These methods enable companies to make data-driven decisions that promote sustainability and deliver greater value to their stakeholders, achieving a competitive advantage by aligning their business objectives with SDGs. In this way, the project aims to make a significant contribution to the widespread adoption of sustainable design practices in the business community.

Project coordinator is Prof. Mario Štorga.