An initiative from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is funding a number of programs that are attempting to "harness" artificial intelligence to benefit climate and nature-based causes.
In a news release, the Bezos Earth Fund announced that it will spend $30 million on new investments, "supporting innovations that range from decoding the songs of endangered birds to automating plant species identification."
The round of funding is part of the AI for Climate and Nature Grand Challenge, awarding 15 teams up to $2 million to scale real-world AI solutions to tackle biodiversity loss, the changing climate, and food insecurity, for instance.
"AI can be a powerful ally to help make the world a better place," said Lauren Sánchez Bezos, vice chair of the fund. "These innovators, using AI, are showing us new possibilities by reimagining how we grow food, protect wildlife, and power our planet to make a true impact."
One of the biggest criticisms of AI has been its high energy consumption and the increasing carbon impact of training and running various models. AI also relies on hardware that requires water for cooling at massive data centers, which can create large amounts of electronic waste and strain local electricity grids.
However, many organizations have attempted to offset that harm by applying the technology toward impactful causes. One of the awardees is the University of Leeds, which is designing a platform that may be able to convert food waste into microbial protein. The project looks to transform leftovers from the food industry, such as discarded soft fruits and vegetable scraps, into valuable protein sources.
"At the Bezos Earth Fund, we're focused on making AI work for the environment — not the other way around," said Amen Ra Mashariki, director of AI at the Bezos Earth Fund. "These projects show how AI, when developed responsibly and guided by science, can strengthen environmental action, support communities, and ensure its overall impact on the planet is net positive."
While any progress in climate causes can be praised, it's important to be mindful of the whole picture. Many corporations will promote their environment-friendly policies as a marketing tactic while also obscuring damaging aspects of their operations, known as greenwashing.
This initiative may have promise, but it also does little to answer the criticism Bezos himself has faced for his own environmental damage. His frequent use of a megayacht and private jets causes untold, unjustifiable planet-warming emissions that have knock-on effects on the endangered birds and plant species these new investments have been said to support.
Amazon itself has not escaped criticism for its environmental policies, with unnecessary packaging and a failure to make progress toward climate goals among notable complaints.
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