AI Can Help or Harm the Planet. It's Up to Us.

Communities around the world face three connected crises. Climate disruption is accelerating, bringing historic heatwaves, floods and wildfires. Natural ecosystems, from coral reefs to primary forests, are receding at alarming rates. And progress on human development is uneven and even reversing in some areas.

In times like this, it's easy to cast new technology as either a hero or a villain. Artificial intelligence (AI), especially the latest wave of generative AI, is often framed in this dichotomy. For some, it's the shining star of progress and abundance. For others, it's a harbinger of chaos, environmental harm and cascading job loss. Many remain somewhere in the middle.

WRI is no stranger to this tension. As a research institute with decades of experience delivering innovative data and applications; a team of hundreds of technologists and researchers; and trusted partnerships with leading technology companies, we have lived through many waves of digital optimism and skepticism. From the early days of machine learning, to the mobile revolution, to the largely unrealized potential of blockchain technologies, we have seen hype cycles both bust and deliver technology with transformative impact.

As AI ushers in the next wave of innovation, our belief remains unchanged: New technology can improve the world; in fact, it's one of the few things that reliably does. At the same time, new technology opens new risks and potential for real harm. What makes the difference is how people and institutions choose to deploy it.