  Throughout their history, homo sapiens have used technologies to better
satisfy their needs. The relation between needs and technology is so
fundamental that the US National Research Council defined the distinguishing
characteristic of technology as its goal "to make modifications in the world to
meet human needs". Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the most promising
emerging technologies of our time. Similar to other technologies, AI is
expected "to meet [human] needs". In this article, we reflect on the
relationship between needs and AI, and call for the realisation of needs-aware
AI systems. We argue that re-thinking needs for, through, and by AI can be a
very useful means towards the development of realistic approaches for
Sustainable, Human-centric, Accountable, Lawful, and Ethical (HALE) AI systems.
We discuss some of the most critical gaps, barriers, enablers, and drivers of
co-creating future AI-based socio-technical systems in which [human] needs are
well considered and met. Finally, we provide an overview of potential threats
and HALE considerations that should be carefully taken into account, and call
for joint, immediate, and interdisciplinary efforts and collaborations.
