When data systems meet ecosystems: Tensions between AI platforms and vitality in corporate sustainability
Name
DRS26_Westerlaken_Rattay_WhenDataSystemsMeetEcosystems_Final.pdf
Size
591.98 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
87df36c363d2b8bca2b430fdf6a6a390
Author(s)
Westerlaken, Michelle
Rattay, Sonja
Date Issued
June 8, 2026
Journal
Proceedings of Design Research Society 2026 (DRS'26)
Citation
Westerlaken, Michelle and Rattay, Sonja. 2026. "When data systems meet ecosystems: Tensions between AI platforms and vitality in corporate sustainability." Proceedings of Design Research Society 2026 (DRS'26).
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Ecosystems are not computers. They are alive, endlessly complex, and
deeply intriguing. What if the data systems used to better understand living worlds
could embed this more-than-human vitality? This paper examines ecosystem data
tools in corporate sustainability, where AI tools have become key mediators in
sustainable transitions. Drawing on desk research and empirical data with
biodiversity specialists at 13 large corporations, it identifies four tensions that
reveal deeper mismatches between computational systems and ecological worlds.
These arise between demands for certainty and the unstable dynamics of
ecosystems; between the need for data as neutral evidence and as arguments
towards managing corporate trade-offs; between LLMs as tools for synthesis and
the continued necessity of human interpretation; and between functional tool
aesthetics and the vital attachments needed for regenerative change. From these
findings, the paper articulates a more-than-human design space aligned with
ecological dynamics, meaning-making, technosymbiotic relations, and
transformative corporate change.
Description
DRS 26 Edinburgh, UK 8-12 June 2026
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Terms of Use
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.1433
