TRENDS Survey Stresses the Need for Supporting Artificial Intelligence Research and Development initiatives on climate change solutions

A group of researchers expressed their great concern about climate change that wrought havoc in different parts the world. They agreed that technology can contribute significantly to mitigating the impact of climate change. They called for the need to support research and development initiatives in the field of artificial intelligence that focus on finding appropriate solutions to the effects of climate change.

The Global Barometer Department at TRENDS Research and Advisory conducted a survey on the issue in which a large number of the respondent researchers expressed their opinion. They said that the transition to clean renewable energy and harnessing the tools of artificial intelligence applications can help mitigate the effects of climate change.

The results of the survey entitled "Elites Opinions on Artificial Intelligence, Technology and Climate Change," concluded that technology and artificial intelligence are emerging tools that achieve economic and social goals. Innovative and sustainable solutions can also make life easier for humans.

The survey introduction indicated that humanity is facing common challenges, such as climate change. Therefore, the Global Barometer Department at Trends Research and Advisory Center conducted an opinion poll to survey the opinions of the elites in different countries on the possible role of artificial intelligence technology in mitigating the effects of climate change. The survey showed that when it comes to the technologies that the respondents have adopted to mitigate climate change in their daily lives, 30% of them said that they depend on energy-saving devices, the use of renewable energy and electric or hybrid cars.

The majority of the respondents (95%) called on governments and companies to invest more in developing and implementing technologies that can mitigate climate change.

About (35%) of the sample are willing to pay a premium for products or services that use technology to mitigate the effects of climate change, while 54% believe that priority should be given to developing and implementing technologies that can mitigate climate change. They believe that companies should be encouraged to invest in technologies that can mitigate the impact of climate change, but not at the expense of their profitability.

The survey indicated that the vast majority (88%) have never participated or supported any initiatives or organizations that promote the use of technology to mitigate the detrimental effects of climate change, compared to only (12%) who did. However, about (20%) said that they have a high level of awareness about the role that artificial intelligence (AI) can play in addressing climate change, compared to (44%) who have some degree of awareness, (22%) who have little awareness, and (14%) said they have no knowledge about it.

A majority of (76%) are interested in learning more about the relationship between Artificial Intelligence and climate change, while 43% said that AI technology has the potential to contribute significantly to mitigating the effect of climate change, compared to 51% who believe it contributes to some extent.

More than a fifth of the respondents mentioned the role of energy management and rationalization of energy consumption. They also proposed climate modeling and forecasting, smart cities and transportation. They said that these aspects represent important fields that can benefit most from artificial intelligence technologies in mitigating the effect of climate change.

Nearly a quarter (25%) of experts are very concerned about the potential ethical implications of using AI in climate change solutions, while nearly 30% are highly confident that AI tools can deliver accurate forecasts of the patterns of climate change. They said that AI can do better modelling of the potential climate change.