Petr Musilek of University of Alberta

As the global energy transition accelerates, artificial intelligence (AI) is emerging as a transformative force in optimizing energy systems and enabling smarter, more sustainable practices. However, the deployment of AI in energy must be aligned with the principles of energy justice—ensuring equitable access, participation, and benefits for all communities, particularly those historically marginalized.
   This talk explores the intersection of AI and energy justice by outlining current opportunities and risks in AI-driven energy systems. It introduces the foundational tenets of energy justice—distributive, procedural, and recognition justice—and discusses how AI can both support and hinder these objectives. Through two detailed case studies—one on reinforcement learning for justice-oriented emergency load shedding, and another on LSTM-based forecasting for equitable community energy storage management—the talk demonstrates how technical innovation can be designed to advance fairness, efficiency, and sustainability in energy allocation.
   The session concludes with a critical reflection on policy gaps, regulatory challenges, and the need for hybrid governance models to ensure that AI supports a truly just and inclusive energy future.

Biography:

Petr Musilek has been with the University of Alberta since 1999, presently as a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

He received the Ing. degree in Electrical Engineering (1991) and PhD degree in Technical Cybernetics (1995) from the Military Technical Academy in Brno, Czech Republic. He was a NATO Science Fellow (1997-1999) in the Intelligent Systems Research Laboratory at the University of Saskatchewan, Canada. He is a Senior Member of IEEE, and a registered Professional Engineer in the province of Alberta (APEGGA).

Address:Electrical and Coputer Engineering., University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada