Impacts environnementaux du numérique et de l’intelligence artificielle, à l’heure de la pathologie digitale

Abstract

While digitization and artificial intelligence represent the future of our specialty, future is also constrained by global warming and overstepping of planetary limits, threatening human health and the functioning of the healthcare system. The report by the Délégation Ministérielle du Numérique en Santé and the French government's ecological planning of the healthcare system confirm the need to control the environmental impact of digital technology.Indeed, despite the promises of dematerialization, digital technology is a very material industry, generating greenhouse gas emissions, problematic consumption of water and mineral resources, and social impacts. The digital sector is impacting at every stage: i) manufacture of equipment; ii) use; and iii) end-of-life of equipment, which, when recycled, can only be recycled to a very limited extent.This is a fast-growing sector, and the digitization of our specialty is part of its acceleration and its impact.Understanding the consequences of digitalization and artificial intelligence, and phenomena such as the rebound effect, is an essential prerequisite for the implementation of a sober, responsible, and sustainable digital pathology.The aim of this update is to help pathologists better understand the environmental impact of digital technology.As healthcare professionals, we have a responsibility to combine technological advances with an awareness of their impact, within a systemic vision of human health.