AI for the Living Planet - Flagship Programme

Background and rationale

Our planet and the climate system are changing rapidly, with profound impacts for human wellbeing all over the world. Societies worldwide are experiencing multiple, interconnected crises: accelerating climate change, biodiversity loss, widening inequalities, and mounting geopolitical tensions. This destabilization of Earth’s resilience is unfolding in parallel with rapid technological change, at times amplified by advances in artificial intelligence.

Left unchecked, these technologies may deepen inequalities, entrench unsustainable practices and may very well generate new systemic risks in Earth’s systems. However, the development and use of artificial intelligence (AI) is still in our hands. Used wisely, AI offer vast and tangible opportunities to help drive a positive transformation for people and planet, and for helping to protect those at the frontlines of planetary change. Turning risks into opportunities requires both forceful and informed action.

The increased uses of AI may lead to benefits to some economic sectors and countries, while at the same time creating harm to already vulnerable communities all over the world facing the repercussions of climate change. While the growing number “AI for Climate” initiatives focus on identifying “positive” applications of AI for climate action are commendable, it is unclear whether they will be able to expand at the scale, speed and depth needed to drive forceful climate action in key economic sectors, and enhanced climate adaptation in society. Such initiatives need to build on best-available evidence, and innovative collaborations between science, tech innovators and investors, and society.

Vision

The world’s first program to advance the planetary responsible implementation of AI, that supports human rights, increase equality, and help steer us to a more sustainable society within the planetary boundaries.

Mission

1. Advance science around planetary responsible AI, and explore what is needed for AI to be used for increased equality and a sustainable development.
2. Develop evidence and clear standards that can guide both public and private actors willing to act as change-makers and innovators in this area.
3. Create international collaborative partnerships, translating science into action, innovation and learning.

Science-Action Gaps and Science Frontiers to be advanced under the proposed flagship programme

• How are AI technologies progressing in sectors critical for climate change and environmental sustainability?
• What untapped opportunities could AI offer for sustainability transformations if developed and used responsibly?
• Which are the most pressing and poorly understood risks to people and planet, emerging from the development and use of AI?
• What gaps remain in responsible AI governance from a planetary boundaries’ perspective?
• How can responsible AI be measured and tracked globally in a way that reflects inclusivity, human rights and sustainable development?
• How do we incorporate perspectives from the Global South and marginalized communities in the development?

Expected outcomes

• Long-term development of an international collaboration platform focusing on AI’s planetary risks and opportunities with the capacity to shape policy, innovation and practice around planetary responsible AI.
• The platform consists of long-term, transdisciplinary research collaborations across academia (Global North and South), UN agencies, and practice partners, with strong international collaborations (e.g., Princeton University, Stanford University, CGIAR, and relevant UN agencies).
• Establishment of a systematic, international, and yearly independent assessment of AI technologies in climate and sustainability sectors – “State of planetary responsible AI report”. Investigate if the assessment can be the foundation for the creation of a global, comparable measurement tool for responsible AI, focused on human rights, gender equality, and sustainable development.
• A clear communication and outreach strategy to make results widely accessible. Making sure to also framing the knowledge to policy to increase governments knowledge and accountability, and the emergence of the next generation of AI entrepreneurs.

The SRC is actively looking for partners to support this initiative, so if your organisation would like to contributing to creating a world-class flagship programme on “AI for the Living Planet” then please contact us Philip Rohrer, Development officer philip.rohrer@su.se or Andrew Merrie, Research Liaison Officer andrew.merrie@su.se

About Stockholm Resilience Centre (SRC)

SRC is a word-leading sustainability science centre. The Centre has a track record of forging creative new research frontiers, developing new transdisciplinary areas of inquiry and building the practitioner-academic relationships necessary to successfully pursue them. Our track record from the early days of connecting network science to resource management, and to more recent examples of bridging Earth system science with finance, environmental governance, AI, the food systems, antimicrobial resistance in health, and much more stands as evidence of our ongoing commitment to find novel ways forward for sustainability.

Our strength stems from our strategy to gather a high number of high-quality staff from an array of different disciplines under one and the same roof. One of the largest assets we have at SRC in recruiting and retaining staff is our transdisciplinary, collaborative and trust based working culture, that include international collaborations with other scientists and thought leaders of the highest calibre.

Our internationally recognized ability to convene transdisciplinary research communities and thereby credibly leverage scientific knowledge to address real-world challenges speaks to our capacity to both keep abreast with the scientific developments of relevance for our proposed work, and to deliver science that is both novel and impactful. Today, our research is among the most cited by policy-makers around the world and we continue to invest in efforts to ensure our science continues to inform decision-making.