Towards Responsible Spatial Data Science and Geo-AI.

Responsible Geo-AI encourages the design and development of spatial methods, processes, algorithms, and systems to discover spatial patterns (e.g., hotspots, colocations) that reduce adverse impacts on the communities that use them. We propose a vision of Geo-AI which can be found at the intersection of spatial data science and the emerging paradigm of responsible AI. Increasingly, governments and industry are calling for ethical and responsible application of AI research. Through this paper, we hope to encourage engagement with the topic of responsible computing, highlight some of the relevant challenges in the field of spatial data science, and advocate for the inclusion of ethical principles in addressing them.