As the world shifts to renewable energies, there is growing demand for minerals like lithium, cobalt, and nickel. These minerals are often mined in ways that harm the environment and local communities. Self-Driving Labs (SDLs) are being promoted as tools that can speed up the discovery of alternative materials and reduce reliance on scarce resources. But this shift also raises big questions: Who controls these new technologies? How do they change the work of scientists? And what are the wider impacts on supply chains, global power, and resource governance?
This research looks at how SDLs fit into the broader history of resource extraction, how they affect global production networks, and what their development means for workers, communities, and the environment. Using interviews, case studies, site mapping, and policy analysis, we seek to better understand the risks and opportunities of AI-driven materials discovery and to suggest ways to make this process more ethical, just, and sustainable.
This project is one of the first to examine SDLs through the lens of the humanities and social sciences, offering critical insight into their implications beyond purely technical assessments.
Co-PIs
- Imre Szeman, Professor, Department of Human Geography & Director, Institute for Environment, Conservation and Sustainability (IECS), University of Toronto Scarborough
- Sergio Montero, Associate Professor, Department of Human Geography & Director, IIESL, University of Toronto Scarborough
Postdoctoral researchers
- Dr. Valentina Castellini, Postdoctoral Fellow, IIESL, University of Toronto Scarborough
- Dr. Isaac Thornley, Postdoctoral Fellow, IECS, University of Toronto Scarborough
- Dr. Hannah Tollefson, Postdoctoral Fellow, IECS, University of Toronto Scarborough
This project is funded by the U of T Acceleration Consortium
