Can AI Fight Climate Change Without Making It Worse? | Auroop Ganguly, Northeastern University
Can AI help us survive extreme weather and climate change—or is it part of the problem?In this episode of Agents of Tech, we speak to Professor Auroop Ganguly, Director of AI for Climate and Sustainability at Northeastern University, about how artificial intelligence is being used to predict disasters, improve infrastructure resilience, and shape sustainable climate policy.🌀 We discuss:• How AI predicts floods, wildfires, and extreme weather• The rising energy cost of AI and the push for green computing• Challenges in low-data regions and climate modelling• Why AI needs governance to support sustainability goals• Using AI to build infrastructure that can withstand climate shocks🚨 AI is powerful, but not a magic bullet. Tune in for a grounded look at the promises, limits, and risks of AI in the climate fight.📍 Guest: Professor Auroop Ganguly, Northeastern University🎙️ Hosts: Autria Godfrey & Laila Rizvi📺 Produced by WebsEdge🔗 Subscribe for more on the future of AI, climate tech, and innovation.#ClimateChange #AI #Sustainability #ClimateTech #AuroopGanguly #GreenComputing #DisasterResilience #AgentsOfTech #ExtremeWeather #MachineLearning #AIClimateModels #TVA #FloodPrediction #ClimateAdaptation #NetZero #AIethics #aigovernance CHAPTERS00:33 – The climate crisis and the AI dilemma01:30 – Can AI help or harm the planet?02:45 – Guest intro: Professor Auroop Ganguly04:10 – How AI supports climate resilience06:00 – Case study: NASA-funded flood prediction with AI08:30 – Improving infrastructure with predictive models10:00 – AI’s limits in reducing emissions11:45 – Can DeepSeek lead to greener AI?13:00 – Making climate models more accurate with AI15:30 – The Global South's data gap problem17:20 – Using transfer learning in low-data regions18:40 – Combining AI with physics for better predictions20:00 – The energy demands of AI explained22:00 – Why governance matters for sustainable AI23:30 – AI's role in shaping future climate policy25:00 – Risks of bias in disaster AI systems26:30 – Innovation, equity, and evolution over revolution28:00 – Hosts’ reflections: What we learnedhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-35968-5