An introductory program on sustainable AI. Explore the climate harms of AI, the potential climate benefits of AI, the net climate impact of AI, and strategies for making AI more sustainable.

Topics:

• Climate Harms of AI and the Net Climate Impact of AI
• Potential Climate Benefits of AI
• Building AI for Climate Solutions
• AI and Climate: Law, Governance, Justice, and Ethics
• 4 Lessons - ~2 Hours Total
• Individual License
• Lifetime Access

This hands-on bootcamp explores the intersection of AI and climate, offering participants foundational knowledge and practical skills. No technical skills or coding experience are required. Attendees will delve into the climate harms of AI, the potential climate benefits of AI, the net climate impact of AI, and strategies for making AI more sustainable.

Participants will transform theory into action through hands-on projects. You'll have the opportunity to use intuitive low-code/no-code tools to create an AI application, with optional options to leverage coding for those interested in further technical learning. Learn the fundamentals of sustainable AI, including building an AI solution - while addressing pressing challenges in sustainability. 

The program concludes with a capstone activity in which participants develop and present a project with the aim of making AI more sustainable; it can be a prototype, policy, framework, venture concept, art piece, or something else. Whether you're new to AI and climate or experienced, this bootcamp provides a platform for innovation and impactful problem-solving.

No prior experience with AI or climate is required. Knowledge of AI and climate science is helpful but not necessary. Join us to learn, build, and create solutions for a sustainable future! 

Details

1. Activity Name:
Sustainable AI

2. Activity Description:
This free activity will introduce participants to the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and climate. Attendees will explore the climate harms of AI, potential climate benefits of AI, the net climate impact of AI, and strategies for making AI more sustainable. 

No prior coding or AI experience is required, as the program incorporates user-friendly, low-code and no-code tools. Optional coding opportunities are also available for those interested. 

Participants will engage in hands-on workshops, including building prototypes, policies, frameworks, venture concepts, art pieces or other projects aimed at driving climate-positive outcomes in the AI ecosystem.

3. Who is organizing the activity?
Organized by Jennifer Turliuk, MIT Short Term Lecturer, HBS Executive Fellow, and MIT alum

Bio: Jennifer Turliuk is an educator, entrepreneur, climate tech investor, speaker, technologist, and published author focused on climate and AI. She is a Short Term Lecturer at MIT and Executive Fellow at Harvard Business School, and taught the foundations block of the Google Community Data Center AI Fellowship. Jennifer has delivered invited talks about climate and AI at COP, Davos, TEDx, Yale, and other global forums. She served as Practice Leader of Climate and Energy AI at MIT’s entrepreneurship center, where she built, taught, and researched AI for climate and energy solutions; she developed 20+ AI tools for the MIT Climate Policy Center, MIT Climate & Energy Ventures class, and the US Department of Energy. Last IAP, she created and taught MIT’s AI for Energy Solutions course, which received over 1,000 applicants and was later funded by MIT Open Learning to become an asynchronous course. Her MIT master’s thesis analyzed the net climate impact of AI, and she has presented about it for Harvard, UN PRME, YOUNGO (UNFCCC constituency), the World Bank, and more. 

Before MIT, she was Partner at one of the world’s most active funders of climate startups, led and co-taught a pioneering climate tech angel investing education program, and co-founded an edtech company that was acquired. She began her career in marketing at Procter & Gamble and has served as a board member, consultant, and mentor. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Huffington Post, NBC, FOX, CBS, Fast Company, and Wired, and she has written for Forbes, VentureBeat, and Business Insider. She holds an MBA from MIT and a Bachelor’s from Queen’s University, completed executive education at Harvard Kennedy School and Singularity University (at NASA Ames), and was awarded an honorary degree from Humber College. In her spare time, she enjoys musicals, dancing, mindfulness, and wind sports.

Schedule
Module 1: Climate Harms of AI and the Net Climate Impact of AI
- Introduction to AI climate harms
- Introduction to the net climate impact of AI
- Activity: evaluating the net climate impact of AI

Module 2: Climate Benefits of AI and Building AI for Climate Solutions
- Introduction to AI climate benefits
- How to build AI for climate solutions
- Tutorial: Make your own AI application using StackAI (no coding required)
- AI and Climate: Law, Governance, Justice and Ethics

​FAQ
- Who can participate?
Anyone! Folks from early career to late career have participated across academia, industry, government, and more. 

- Do I need to know how to code?
Nope! The program is designed to be accessible to all. You'll have the opportunity to work with low-code/no-code tools to build an impactful AI solution. Optional coding opportunities are also available for those who are interested. 

- What's the time commitment?
Plan for approximately 8 hours
4 hours of in-class time
4 hours of project work outside of class. 

- Do I need to watch all sessions?
Ideally, as content builds progressively. If you miss one, you can catch up later. 

- What will I create?
A prototype, policy proposal, framework, venture pitch, art piece, or something else with the goal of making AI more sustainable.

- Is this the same course as the course: AI for Energy Solutions? 
No, it is new! While a small amount of content is shared, most of the content is new. This course is about making AI more sustainable. New content, new projects, etc.

- Is this class for credit? 
No