Alternative Futures: Call for Application
Lab: AI for Social Good | Co-creating sustainable AI + Climate Futures
Location: Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan Bangalore
Dates: November 7-8, 2024
Application Deadline: November 1, 2024
A 2-day lab bringing together civil society organisations, innovators, activists, researchers, environmentalists, technologists and litigators to exchange concepts and strategies.
Hosted by Algorithm Watch and Digital Futures Lab in partnership with Goethe-Institut and Quicksand Design Studio
What to expect:
Climate change is one of the biggest existential threats in the Asian region. Countries like India have reported exceptionally hot summers, and more frequent droughts and floods in 2024. Urgent solutions are needed to address this crisis, and technologies like AI are emerging as one of the ways to monitor and assess climate risks and support adaptation and mitigation strategies. Whether AI can live up to the immense expectations that is posed on it, however, still remains to be seen.Through this Lab, Algorithm Watch and Digital Futures Lab are keen to explore how digital technologies are being leveraged for climate action, particularly data-driven machine learning applications, across sectors in India. This could include interventions in agri-tech, smart cities, mobility, energy, disaster response and climate education and awareness (not an exhaustive list). At the same time we will address climate costs that emerge in the resource-heavy technology sector, especially in light of compute-intense generative AI applications. The two-day event will be an opportunity to spotlight use cases through demonstrations, understand the specific challenges and risks stakeholders face and map pathways for sustainable and equitable climate futures. The event will be curated to highlight benefits and challenges in contexts of digital divides, where access to relevant data, connectivity, devices and technical skills might be limited, and will examine the enablers (such as policy, data and digital infrastructures and financial models) needed to support and sustain beneficial climate AI solutions.
What you will gain:
- Take part in knowledge sharing with organizations who are working on climate tech solutions and AI governance.
- Create a foundation for long-term collaboration and mutual learning in the field of AI for climate action.
- Develop joint strategies and projects that address the challenges and opportunities of using AI for climate solutions, leveraging the collective expertise of participants from diverse backgrounds.
- Contribute to the development and refinement of tools to ensure accountability in AI development and deployment for climate action.
- Contribute to the broader discourse on the future of climate action in the context of rapid technological advancement.
You are:
- Currently working with a non-profit, startup, or initiative that focuses on digital solutions for climate change, environmental protection, or sustainable development.
- Currently working with governmental or non-governmental agencies on developing, monitoring, or operationalizing AI or data-driven solutions for climate action.
- A scholar, researcher or grassroots organisation working on climate justice, environmental science, or the intersection of technology and sustainability.
- Working on a specific project or initiative that addresses climate change using AI or other digital technologies.
- Familiar with the challenges of implementing tech solutions in contexts of digital divides, where access to data, connectivity, devices, and technical skills might be limited.
- Interested in knowledge sharing on these themes with diverse stakeholders