AI for a Planet Under Pressure

TL;DR

This paper explores how AI can be responsibly and effectively used to address complex sustainability challenges, highlighting its potential, limitations, and providing recommendations based on extensive literature review and expert analysis.

Contribution

It presents a comprehensive assessment of AI's role in sustainability research, combining literature review, expert dialogues, and case studies to identify opportunities and challenges.

Findings

AI supports sustainability research through literature analysis and expert insights.

There are significant limitations and ethical considerations in applying AI to sustainability.

Recommendations are provided for stakeholders to harness AI responsibly.

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) is already driving scientific breakthroughs in a variety of research fields, ranging from the life sciences to mathematics. This raises a critical question: can AI be applied both responsibly and effectively to address complex and interconnected sustainability challenges? This report is the result of a collaboration between the Stockholm resilience Centre (Stockholm University), the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), and Google DeepMind. Our work explores the potential and limitations of using AI as a research method to help tackle eight broad sustainability challenges. The results build on iterated expert dialogues and assessments, a systematic AI-supported literature overview including over 8,500 academic publications, and expert deep-dives into eight specific issue areas. The report also includes recommendations to sustainability scientists, research funders, the private sector, and philanthropies.