On May 20, 2024, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's Science and Technology for Sustainability Program and the Embassy of Sweden in Washington co-organized an event, Beyond the Hype: Putting AI to Work for Sustainable Development. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been portrayed as a universal solution for global challenges, especially climate change and healthcare-related challenges; however, this portrayal raises a critical question: is AI just hype?

Participants including diplomats, scientists, and tech experts discussed AI's practical applications and limitations, including:

• AI's Impact on the Sustainable Development Goals: The discussion focused on how AI can potentially advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) across various sectors. Recent research has identified best practices and made strides towards SDGs, and these discussions addressed socio-economic and environmental concerns such as energy consumption, e-waste generation, and manufacturing footprint.
• Impact of AI Hallucinations: AI hallucinations, generated by biased or inadequate training data, pose significant risks related to misinformation and ethics. Participants explored the impact of these hallucinations in critical areas such as health, energy, climate, water, and biodiversity, and how research can ensure responsible AI development and deployment.
• International Collaboration in AI Research: Collaboration across national boundaries in AI research is crucial for maximizing AI's benefits for global sustainability. Participants highlighted the importance of cooperation among AI researchers and developers, emphasizing how such collaboration can leverage collective advantages and comparative strengths for mutual benefit.

One question was repeatedly asked: "Where can we go with this technology together?"

Since AI’s potential to revolutionize research and unlock new levels of discovery is not infallible, participants discussed that it is crucial to ensure researchers refrain from ceding their critical thinking skills and maintain their agency. While AI can simplify tasks through automation, it can also complicate matters by introducing bias in data analysis. As AI becomes more and more commonplace, participants discussed that it is essential for a diverse group of leaders to shape the future landscape of AI-transformed systems.