Applying Latest AI Developments to Combat Climate Change and Build a Sustainable World

AI, or artificial intelligence, has the potential to transform our future. Its application in tackling climate change and finding sustainable solutions is crucial. Sims Witherspoon, our climate & sustainability lead, emphasized the need to focus on how we can utilize AI rather than just discussing what we can do.

Understanding Weather, Climate, and Their Effects

Understanding the core problems and their effects is the vital first step in addressing climate change. In collaboration with the UK Met Office, we developed a more accurate precipitation nowcasting model. This model provides crucial insight for optimizing renewable energy systems based on natural resources and is preferred by expert meteorologists.

Additionally, we have been using AI to track the effects of climate change on ecosystems and biodiversity. Our projects include modeling animal species in the Serengeti and advancing conservation efforts in Africa. We are also developing AI systems to identify bird song in Australia, aiding in monitoring changing wildlife on a large scale. Furthermore, we are partnering with Climate Change AI to bridge data gaps and compile datasets that can help AI solutions for climate change.

Optimizing Existing Systems

While transitioning to sustainable infrastructure, optimizing current systems is crucial. We have been developing AI to enhance existing systems and make them more energy-efficient. This includes optimizing industrial cooling and computer systems, which are often energy-intensive.

In 2019, our climate & sustainability team collaborated with experts from a Google-owned wind farm to increase the value of wind energy. By using a custom AI tool to predict wind power output and recommend energy commitments to the grid, we significantly boosted the value of wind energy. This tool is now being piloted by French power company ENGIE.

Accelerating Breakthrough Science

In addition to optimizing infrastructure, scientific breakthroughs are necessary for a sustainable energy future. Nuclear fusion is a promising technology that can potentially provide limitless carbon-free energy. To further understand and control the nuclear fusion process, we collaborated with the Swiss Plasma Center at EPFL. Together, we developed an AI system that successfully predicts and controls plasma in a fusion reactor, contributing to solving the engineering challenges associated with harnessing fusion energy.

Challenges and Collaboration

To create effective AI solutions, it is crucial for researchers to understand the challenges faced by communities worldwide. Collaboration with industry experts, climate scientists, policymakers, and governments is at the core of our sustainability efforts. We are eager to hear from industry domain experts and climate scientists who have specific challenges that can help combat climate change.

If you have a challenge to solve that can contribute to understanding, mitigating, or adapting to climate change, our climate & sustainability team would love to collaborate with you. Please reach out to us at contact-gdm-sustainability@google.com.