AI IN SUSTAINABILITY
Research reveals that the Great Pacific Garbage Patch isn’ t only damaging marine life but also hindering the ocean’ s climate regulation capabilities.
Plastics adversely affect ocean oxygen output and carbon capture, potentially accelerating climate change – but their removal is economically unviable without AI making the process efficient enough to scale.
This is where Google’ s kelp mapping showcases how satellite data and AI identify patterns invisible to human observation.
Between 2014 and 2023, Google restored approximately 67 acres of native habitat, planting 4,500 native trees near their Bay Area campuses.
These endeavours extend to AI projects like irrigation innovations in Taiwan and France, and infrastructure enhancements in Chile.
“ At Google, we’ re using AI to map the existing invisible forests and discover new varieties that can survive and thrive in more challenging environments,” Kate highlights.
“ It’ s just one of the ways we’ re seeing AI help preserve nature.”
For business leaders, the lesson shows how AI handles complexity, uncertainty and scale. If ML can predict ocean currents and identify climate-resilient species, similar approaches can predict market shifts or optimise resource allocation under volatile conditions.
238 November 2025