# How to Make AI a Force for Good in Climate | Manoush Zomorodi and Amen Ra Mashariki | TED Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQY0zf9-WXI Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/zQY0zf9-WXI Generated: 2026-02-13T16:32:55.124+00:00 --- ## Quick Overview Amen Ra Mashariki, Chief Analytics Officer for New York City, argues that Artificial Intelligence (AI) must be intentionally directed towards climate and nature solutions, emphasizing that the current reliance on tech giants and their opaque models is insufficient for the urgent challenges ahead, advocating instead for a trusted, transparent, and broadly applied approach to AI development for planetary benefit. **Key Points:** - Amen Ra Mashariki previously worked at the Bezos Earth Fund, taking a trajectory focused on using AI to accelerate climate and nature solutions. - Mashariki advocates for viewing AI not just as an invention but as a tool and force for good in saving the planet, stressing the need for intentional application. - He criticizes the current situation where AI development is often driven by tech giants, leading to a lack of transparency and an 'average of reality' output. - A key milestone for the Bezos Earth Fund is achieving a high level of accuracy (e.g., 80%) in field surveys using AI, which requires trust and transparency. - The current AI paradigm, exemplified by models like ChatGPT, often lacks the necessary transparency and accountability for critical climate decisions. - The goal is to move beyond mere discovery to creating 'grand innovations' that have a measurable positive impact on climate and nature. - The necessary shift involves moving from opaque corporate/academic models to a framework where AI provides exact, trustworthy data to guide policy and action. ![Screenshot at 00:24: Amen Ra Mashariki begins to describe his trajectory from working at the Bezos Earth Fund, detailing his background in computer science and his shift toward applying AI to climate and nature solutions.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/zQY0zf9-WXI/00-00-24.jpg) **Context:** This video segment features an in-depth conversation between journalist Manoush Zomorodi and Amen Ra Mashariki, who served as the Chief Analytics Officer for the City of New York and previously worked with the Bezos Earth Fund. The discussion centers on the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in addressing the climate crisis, contrasting the current trend of relying on large tech companies with the need for transparent, trustworthy, and deliberately applied AI tools focused specifically on environmental solutions. ## Detailed Analysis Amen Ra Mashariki details his professional journey, which moved from computer science—including undergrad, master's, and doctoral studies—and algorithm optimization at research labs, to his role as Chief Analytics Officer for New York City, and his work with the Bezos Earth Fund. He strongly advocates for changing the trajectory of AI development away from being primarily driven by tech giants, whose models often produce an 'average of reality' without transparency. Mashariki emphasizes that for AI to effectively tackle climate and nature challenges, it must be transparent and trustworthy, requiring a mechanism for broad agreement across stakeholders (governments, NGOs, academia). He highlights the importance of achieving high accuracy in applications like field surveys (e.g., 80% accuracy for 3% of the cost) to drive real change. He cites the 'Move 37' concept from Go—a counter-intuitive move that ultimately won—as an analogy for the kind of grand innovation needed in AI for climate restoration. The ultimate goal is for AI to move from being a tool for mere discovery to a force for good that helps humanity agree on exactly what climate and nature challenges require immediate action. ### Guest Background and Trajectory - Amen Ra Mashariki's background includes degrees in Computer Science and his work at the Bezos Earth Fund and as NYC's Chief Analytics Officer - His path shifted towards using AI to accelerate climate and nature solutions. ### Critique of Current AI Landscape - Mashariki notes that AI application is currently dominated by tech giants and academic institutions, often lacking transparency and yielding only an 'average of reality' output - He contrasts this with the need for demonstrable, high-accuracy results (like 80% accuracy in field surveys at 3% cost). ### The 'Move 37' Analogy - He references the Go concept of 'Move 37'—a counter-intuitive move that won the game—as a metaphor for the kind of grand, counter-intuitive innovation required in AI for climate solutions. ### Call for Trust and Transparency - A key milestone is achieving trust among communities, experts, and governments so they can agree on what the AI-identified challenges are and how to proceed. ### The Decisive Decade - Mashariki stresses that the next ten years are the 'consequential decade' where decisions about AI ethics, policy, and technology development will determine if AI becomes a tool for planetary restoration or degradation. ![Screenshot at 00:04: The title card for TED Countdown, featuring the text 'COUNTDOWN' and the call to action 'TAKE ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE AT COUNTDOWN.TED.COM'.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/zQY0zf9-WXI/00-00-04.jpg) ![Screenshot at 00:08: Manoush Zomorodi and Amen Ra Mashariki seated in modern armchairs on a red circular rug for their interview segment.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/zQY0zf9-WXI/00-00-08.jpg) ![Screenshot at 00:37: Amen Ra Mashariki explaining the concept of 'Move 37' while gesturing with his hands to illustrate a concept.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/zQY0zf9-WXI/00-00-37.jpg) ![Screenshot at 01:42: Manoush Zomorodi asking Mashariki about the criteria for funding projects that utilize AI for climate solutions.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/zQY0zf9-WXI/00-01-42.jpg) ![Screenshot at 05:01: Amen Ra Mashariki using hand gestures to illustrate the high accuracy \(80%\) of AI in field surveys versus the cost \(3%\).](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/zQY0zf9-WXI/00-05-01.jpg)