On June 4, 2025, the National Academies Roundtable on Science and Technology for Sustainability, in collaboration with the Board on Mathematical Sciences and Analytics and Board on Human-System Integration, convened a hybrid workshop, Artificial Intelligence for Sustainability: Maximizing Benefits for the United States.
The workshop examined how AI can be leveraged to maximize benefits for the United States at the intersection of nature, people, and this critical technology. The workshop reviewed AI applications that support sustainability goals, including successful case studies that demonstrate AI-driven sustainability solutions. Discussions included opportunities for cross-sector collaboration, interdisciplinary research, and international cooperation to maximize AI’s potential in sustainability efforts. A Proceedings of a Workshop--in Brief was prepared by a designated rapporteur and distributed broadly.
Agenda, June 4, 2025, 9:00 am to 4:30 pm EDT
Welcome from Roundtable on Science and Technology for Sustainability
Cherry Murray (NAS/NAE, University of Arizona, Roundtable Co-Chair)
Klaus Tilmes (Senior Policy Advisor and Development Consultant, Roundtable Co-Chair)
Franklin Carrero-Martínez (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine)
Welcome from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Emanuel Robinson (Board on Human-Systems Integration)
Brittany Segundo (Board on Mathematical Sciences and Analytics)
Goals for the Workshop
Shefali Mehta (Open Rivers Consulting Associates, Workshop Chair)
Framing Remarks: The Interrelated Benefits of AI and Sustainability
Daron Acemoglu (NAS, Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
Panel I: Supply Chain for AI – The Inputs to AI
Moderator: Anne Roby (NAE, Formerly Linde, PLC)
Panelists: Erica Fuchs (Carnegie Mellon University), Andrés Naranjo (OrangeSpark Industrial AI and Brydon Group), and Lawrence Megan (Baldwin Richardson Foods)
Panel II: The Impact of AI on Supply Chains – The Outcomes from AI
Moderator: Meghna Tare (The University of Texas at Arlington)
Panelists: Feng Qiu (Argonne National Laboratory), Elena Naumova (Tufts University), and William Babis (Stockholm Environment Institute)
Panel III: Societal Impact of AI on Employment and Workforce
Moderator: José Lobo (Arizona State University)
Panelists: Christine Machovec (Bureau of Labor Statistics), Keolu Fox (University of California, San Diego), and Shamika Sirimanne (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development)
Panel IV: The Role of Science in Advancing AI Research relating to Sustainability
Moderator: Miguel Román (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)
Panelists: Michael Jacobs (International Business Machines Corporation), Eric Horvitz (NAE, Microsoft Corporation on behalf of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence), Owen Gaffney (Nobel Prize Outreach), and Amy Luers (Microsoft Corporation)
Synthesis: Future Needs and Opportunities
All Participants