After putting in place, four years ago, an ambitious digital strategy through the award of the Numérique Responsable label, Mines Saint-Étienne signed the Responsible AI Charter in June 2026, thereby confirming its position on Sustainable Development and Social and Environmental Responsibility (DD&RSE). This approach paves the way for an action plan that will further strengthen the initiatives already in place.
Published by the Institut du Numérique Responsable (INR), the Responsible AI Charter involves implementing artificial intelligence systems that are:
- human-centred and fully under control;
- inclusive and ethical;
- trustworthy, robust against cyberattacks and transparent;
- eco-responsible.
Signing this document translates into a series of concrete actions designed to support, in an informed and clear-eyed manner, the changes brought about by AI within the School.
The School’s two delegates for responsible digital practices have therefore drafted a charter on the use of artificial intelligence tools for staff.
A genuine day-to-day guide, this document sets out the Charter’s main themes as practical best practices.
We also invite our staff to take the Responsible AI MOOC* offered by INR. Free and open to the general public, this online course provides an opportunity to deepen one’s knowledge of artificial intelligence and become aware of its impacts.
It is also a prerequisite for obtaining a professional AI licence for School staff.
Several staff members have already taken this step. They highlight the relevance of the information and the awareness-raising around responsibility conveyed by the MOOC.
Taking action for the emergence of more ethical digital practices
The Responsible AI Charter complements the Numérique Responsable Charter, signed by Mines Saint-Étienne as early as 2022. This dual commitment reflects a strong determination to address sustainable development challenges in the education of future engineers and in research activities.
To this end, the School has adopted a whole series of best practices, for example:
- Integrating the life cycle of digital tools and applications into its specifications
- Publishing work carried out by researchers, such as the BENUR project, or led by students, such as the inclusion of seniors in the digital world.
- Active participation for several years in the « Digital Cleanup Days », an international event that raises awareness of the environmental footprint of digital technology through action, held every year in March.
A flagship event showcasing low-impact and ethical technology, the Festival du Numérique Responsable offers workshops—digital clean-up, intergenerational meetings with the Office stéphanois pour les aînés (OSPA) de la Loire—as well as talks and even film screenings. Each year, in March, it attracts a strong turnout from the public.
A School awarded the Numérique Responsable label
The work carried out to reduce the environmental footprint of digital technology enabled Mines Saint-Étienne to become, in 2023, one of the first engineering schools of this level to be awarded the INR Numérique Responsable Level 1 label.
Renewed in 2025 following an external audit conducted by the accredited agency Lucie, this label attests to the School’s efforts to promote more regenerative, inclusive and ethical digital practices.
This commitment makes Mines Saint-Étienne a reference player in digital transition and sustainable development, in line with its ambition to be a driver of innovations with societal impact.
* MOOC (Massive Open Online Course): an online course open to all.
