Balancing the Power of AI with the Wisdom of Biodiversity: A Call for Sustainable Tech

As artificial intelligence continues its impressive surge across industries and daily life we are at a crossroads. With each new AI-driven advancement, we lean deeper into dependence on the potential of data and machine learning, but here’s an important question: “What is the environmental toll of this growth, and how can we ensure we’re not building progress on a crumbling foundation?”?

?AI’s demands are exacting—not only in human ingenuity but in physical resources. As computing power grows, so does its “computational heat,” an often-overlooked environmental expense.

This demand for constant energy is often out of sight and out of mind, but it’s both immediate and pressing. Enormous data centers are built worldwide, and they operate around the clock, drawing electricity and emitting heat that needs to be managed. The systems used to cool these centers require their own energy inputs, usually dependent on power sources that aren’t always renewable, affecting ecosystems along the way. The effects, from energy use to habitat disruption, make biodiversity an invaluable framework within which to reassess the environmental balance.

As a board member of the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation, I’m fortunate to have access to groundbreaking research and conservation strategies. Inspired by Wilson’s Half-Earth vision.

“If we protect half the Earth's land and sea and manage sufficient habitat to safeguard the bulk of biodiversity, living Earth can continue to breathe.” – EO Wilson

I've come to see biodiversity as a stabilizing force that can work as a counterbalance to AI’s unchecked growth.

E.O. Wilson was a visionary and genuine national treasure who taught us that we can’t sustain human progress by extracting and exhausting resources without giving back, without preserving the very ecosystems that support us.?

So here are several actionable ways we might better manage AI’s expansion within a biodiversity-focused ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) framework.

Quantifying Biodiversity Impact in ESG Metrics

To fully grasp AI’s impact on biodiversity, companies should consider integrating biodiversity metrics directly into ESG assessments. In the current landscape, many ESG reports focus on carbon emissions, water usage, and pollution—all valid concerns. However, they often miss the specific biodiversity costs tied to energy-intensive industries like AI.

This begins with understanding that the resources supporting data centers are more than a “necessary cost of doing business.” When we don’t examine where and how cooling water is sourced, the forests that may be cleared for energy production, or the emissions that data centers produce, we risk eroding local biodiversity and resilience. Metrics tracking these resources—water source degradation, habitat loss, and species at risk—are essential in putting a biodiversity lens on AI.

A biodiversity-inclusive ESG can elevate the transparency of these impacts and empower companies to act responsibly. Investors and stakeholders benefit from knowing which tech giants are adopting biodiversity-conscious practices and which ones aren’t. Embracing biodiversity in reporting means recognizing that every data center or AI model has a footprint that doesn’t stop with energy use—it trickles into ecosystems.

Investing in Biodiversity Offsets

Data centers can offset their ecological footprint by investing in biodiversity-focused conservation projects. This idea, core to Wilson’s Half-Earth initiative, aims to replenish what human-driven progress often takes. Initiatives like reforestation, habitat restoration, and wetland conservation are practical ways for technology companies to give back.

Offsetting should be tangible and aligned with the ecosystems impacted by the company’s presence. For example, data centers in water-scarce regions might support wetland conservation projects or invest in water replenishment programs. Beyond feel-good impact, these projects can directly mitigate the local environmental strain caused by data centers.

When integrated as part of an offset strategy, biodiversity restoration isn’t simply corporate charity; it becomes a targeted, measurable action that shows respect for the planet and the people living in areas affected by the ever-growing demand for data.

Supporting Research on Eco-Friendly Cooling Systems

Walter Jetz’s lab at Yale is pioneering research that harnesses data to identify conservation strategies that maximize impact. His work connects with the Half-Earth vision by linking science and data to conservation outcomes. Yet, there is room for innovation within technology itself to lower its environmental cost—research that data-heavy industries can fund, support, and ultimately deploy.

Current cooling methods often rely on resource-heavy systems that demand substantial power and water inputs. Companies can support R&D efforts into alternative cooling technologies, like those that explore underwater or geothermal data centers. Microsoft’s underwater data center prototypes, for instance, have shown promise in reducing the need for traditional cooling solutions while improving energy efficiency.

Supporting these kinds of projects requires more than money—it needs corporate commitment to scaling eco-friendly cooling once solutions are validated. By funding and ultimately adopting new cooling technology, companies can significantly mitigate their environmental footprint, ensuring their growth doesn’t come at biodiversity’s expense.

Developing AI Models to Protect the Natural World

AI is both a force for innovation and a tool that can be wielded to protect the environment. Responsible AI adoption should include predictive models that track energy use and highlight biodiversity risks in real-time. Imagine an AI model used to monitor data center efficiency that is also programmed to assess local biodiversity impact, like identifying water usage relative to seasonal cycles, or spotlighting energy demand during ecologically sensitive times.

By integrating environmental AI into operational structures, companies can balance growth with responsibility, acting on potential environmental risks before they become ecological crises. This approach aligns with Wilson’s notion of respecting natural limits, reminding us that the survival of ecosystems is intertwined with human prosperity.

Collaborating on Biodiversity-Forward AI Policies

As AI technology progresses, so must our policies. By actively engaging with policymakers, companies and conservation organizations can shape a regulatory environment that integrates biodiversity into AI governance. A regulatory structure that mandates biodiversity as part of environmental impact reporting could transform tech’s footprint.

Regulation is often viewed as a limiting factor in tech, but when well-executed, it guides innovation toward sustainability. Working with policymakers to include biodiversity considerations in AI regulatory frameworks gives companies both the accountability and support to innovate within a responsible structure. Such policies can drive industry-wide change, pushing tech toward ecological stewardship and long-term resilience.

Bridging AI with Biodiversity: A Shared Future

The rapid growth of AI shows no signs of slowing, and the demands on our resources will only intensify. But a future where biodiversity and technology thrive in tandem isn’t a fantasy—it’s the logical and sustainable path forward. By applying the Half-Earth ethos to technological growth, we ensure that ecosystems retain their balance and that humanity can depend on the stability of a biodiverse world.

As stewards of both the digital and natural realms, we have a unique opportunity to lead this change. The E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation is already working with companies, researchers, and policymakers to move these ideas forward. If this resonates with you, consider supporting this mission—whether through innovative policy, financial investment in eco-friendly cooling, or simply the choice to include biodiversity in ESG reports. We have the tools, and now, we need the commitment.

Let’s build a future that respects E.O. Wilson’s vision, integrating the power of AI with the resilience of biodiversity. Together, we can make sure that our push for progress is balanced with the wisdom of nature.

If you would like to contribute or get involved in the EO Wilson Biodiversity Foundation, hit me up.