To celebrate Earth Hour at 10 a.m. on April 22, the UC Tech community convened experts from across the system to discuss the ways in which technology — in particular artificial intelligence (AI) — can shape solutions for sustainability.
Camille Crittenden, executive director of CITRIS and the Banatao Institute, and Michele Barbato, director of the CITRIS Climate initiative were both featured among the presenters.
Crittenden discussed the environmental impact of AI, stressing that while AI carries promise for solving environmental issues, its rapid growth must be accompanied by strategies to optimize energy use.
Barbato talked about CITRIS Climate’s to enhance infrastructure resilience against climate-driven hazards, including initiatives such as the Oakland Ecoblock, a neighborhood-wide effort towards resilient retrofitting.