Four Cornell faculty members have been awarded grants from the Bezos Earth Fund's inaugural AI Grand Challenge for Climate and Nature. Among 1,200 global applicants, only 24 were selected - three from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) and one from Cornell Engineering.
The awards, announced May 21, are the first phase of a multiphase funding opportunity from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' philanthropy. The 25 awardees each received roughly $50,000 to explore ideas to address climate change and nature loss through use of artificial intelligence. For this first-ever Grand Challenge award, applicants' projects centered on sustainable proteins, power grid optimization and biodiversity conservation. Phase I awardees now have the opportunity to apply for a Phase II implementation grant: as many as 15 awardees "will each receive up to $2 million to close the gap between concept and viability," according to the Earth Fund.
