- Francesca Larosa
KTH Royal Institute of Technology (Stockholm)
The rapid advancement and adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming global production and consumption systems. AI offers opportunities to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and unlock transformations across sectors. At the same time, its expansion raises socio-environmental concerns, including energy demand, resource impacts, and potential inequalities across value chains.
AI is evolving from a technical tool into a socio-cultural force that shapes how knowledge is created, owned, and shared, influencing how societies work, communicate, and make decisions. In the context of sustainability and climate, this shift creates both risks and significant opportunities to support more resilient and equitable development pathways. The central question is how to intentionally guide AI so that it contributes to planetary stability. This paper examines the concept of Earth alignment as a framework to promote AI development and deployment in ways that protect Earth systems, ensure equitable access to benefits, and strengthen social cohesion. Finally, it outlines plausible scenarios for aligning AI development with Earth-centric objectives, offering insights into potential pathways forward.
