1707. Digital Twins as Persuasive Technology for Transport Decarbonisation
Invited abstract in session MA-43: Operations Research and the Common Good, stream OR and Ethics.
Monday, 8:30-10:00Room: Newlyn GR.07
Authors (first author is the speaker)
| 1. | Luciana Blaha
|
| Edinburgh Business School/Marketing & Operations, Heriot-Watt University |
Abstract
Digital twins (DTs) are emerging as powerful virtual representations of transport systems, offering potential as persuasive technologies to influence sustainable behaviors. This paper examines the intersection of DTs and persuasive technology in transport, highlighting four critical gaps: limited focus on persuasive potential, insufficient attention to user experience, unexplored social and ethical implications, and absence of specific design frameworks. While DTs can enhance decision-making, improve resource allocation, and influence transport choices to address climate challenges, they raise significant ethical concerns regarding data privacy, manipulation, and unintended consequences. The increasing adoption of DTs in transport operations presents opportunities to drive decarbonization efforts through behavioral change, but requires careful consideration of ethical boundaries and user-centered design. Transport DTs must balance operational efficiency with transparent stakeholder engagement to maintain trust while maximizing positive environmental impact. This paper touches on in-progress empirical research on human-DT interactions and calls for the development of ethical design frameworks specifically for transport DTs to guide their implementation as tools for sustainable transport transformation.
Keywords
- Ethics
- Decision Support Systems
- Transportation
Status: accepted
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