Abstract
In an era shaped by autonomous systems, designers increasingly confront a central question: how should responsibility and decision-making be distributed when environmental action is partially delegated to algorithms? This article explores how AI infrastructures in marine environmental operations reshape relations between human intention, machine autonomy, and ecological care. Drawing on posthuman design theory, Actor–Network Theory, and explainable AI, the study proposes an Ethics of Autonomy framework that positions design as a mediator between human oversight and algorithmic agency. Using a case-informed analysis of three marine robotic systems—FloatyBoats (coral restoration), Seaswarm (oil spill mitigation), and the autonomous surface vessel Vatoz (marine waste collection), the paper illustrates how sensing, feedback loops, and adaptive control enable autonomous systems to move from environmental monitoring toward ecological intervention. The study argues that responsible innovation in autonomous environmental technologies requires systems that are interpretable, accountable, and embedded within transparent algorithmic decision-making infrastructures supporting ecological responsibility.
Keywords
autonomous systems, AI ethics, algorithmic governance, environmental regeneration
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.2450
Citation
Görgülü, O., Özcan, A., and Berglund, A. (2026) Designing algorithmic infrastructures for environmental regeneration: Autonomous systems in marine contexts, in Simeone, L., Gray, C. M., Verhoeven, A., de Götzen, A., Bakırlıoğlu, Y., Zohar, H., Stead, M., and Buwert, P. (eds.), DRS2026: Edinburgh, 8–12 June, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.2450
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Included in
Designing algorithmic infrastructures for environmental regeneration: Autonomous systems in marine contexts
In an era shaped by autonomous systems, designers increasingly confront a central question: how should responsibility and decision-making be distributed when environmental action is partially delegated to algorithms? This article explores how AI infrastructures in marine environmental operations reshape relations between human intention, machine autonomy, and ecological care. Drawing on posthuman design theory, Actor–Network Theory, and explainable AI, the study proposes an Ethics of Autonomy framework that positions design as a mediator between human oversight and algorithmic agency. Using a case-informed analysis of three marine robotic systems—FloatyBoats (coral restoration), Seaswarm (oil spill mitigation), and the autonomous surface vessel Vatoz (marine waste collection), the paper illustrates how sensing, feedback loops, and adaptive control enable autonomous systems to move from environmental monitoring toward ecological intervention. The study argues that responsible innovation in autonomous environmental technologies requires systems that are interpretable, accountable, and embedded within transparent algorithmic decision-making infrastructures supporting ecological responsibility.