The Bezos Earth Fund has awarded 24 Phase I grants under its AI Grand Challenge for Climate and Nature, an initiative that aims to use artificial intelligence to accelerate solutions to the world’s biggest environmental challenges.
Each chosen project will receive $50,000, taking the total amount of funding granted to $1.2 million. Later this year, up to 15 of the most promising will be selected for Phase II, receiving implementation grants of $2 million each to further develop and scale their solutions over a two-year period.
The AI Grand Challenge has been launched with a commitment of up to $100 million, and will explore the potential of AI to address issues such as climate change and biodiversity loss. It focuses on sustainable proteins, power grid optimization, and biodiversity conservation, among other solutions.
“The selected projects will use AI to test the possibility of what was once unimaginable, from turning food waste into reusable proteins for food producers to monitoring wildlife poaching through audio recordings,” said Lauren Sánchez, Vice Chair of the Bezos Earth Fund.
Sustainable protein projects
The nine organizations that have received grants for sustainable protein projects are:
- Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
- Delft University of Technology
- Essential Impact
- Food System Innovations
- King’s College London
- New Harvest
- The Periodic Table of Food Initiative
- The University of Leeds
- Wageningen University & Research.
All Phase I grantees will participate in an Innovation Sprint designed to help them refine their proposals, form multidisciplinary teams, and develop implementation plans. They will receive mentorship from private sector collaborators, with whom they will be matched based on the needs of their project.
“Catalyzing the next wave of transformative solutions”
The AI Grand Challenge aims to foster collaboration between climate and nature organizations and leading AI researchers, ensuring solutions are both scientifically robust and grounded in real-world impact.
The news comes after the Bezos Earth Fund, launched in 2020 by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, pledged $60 million last year to establish several Bezos Centers for Sustainable Protein. Three centers have already been opened at NC State University, Imperial College London, and the National University of Singapore.
“Climate change and biodiversity loss are among the most pressing challenges of our time, and AI has the potential to significantly accelerate our response,” said Dr. Amen Ra Mashariki, Director of AI and Data Strategies at the Bezos Earth Fund. “By empowering innovators with seed funding and fostering collaboration between frontline environmental organizations and AI experts, the AI Grand Challenge is catalyzing the next wave of transformative solutions.”
