S2G Ventures’ report highlights AI’s potential for unlocking climate solutions.
Multi-stage investment firm S2G Ventures (S2G) recently released its report The AI Opportunity: Unlocking Climate Solutions and Productivity in a Volatile World. The report highlights the potential of AI in driving both financial and environmental benefits, and its ability to bring solutions to market faster.
With the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions increasing, S2G has outlined the ways AI can be used as a tool to transition to a more resilient and sustainable future. Its ability to enhance business models and accelerate solutions to market is emerging as a powerful enabler of progress in climate action and human health.
Focusing on mitigating the most severe impacts of climate change and adapting to the changes that are already unfolding is crucial – and AI could hold the potential to revolutionise the way we approach this.
“AI offers immense potential, but we believe its implementation must be strategic and context-specific,” says Vikram Sharma, Operating Partner at S2G. “I believe successful deployment requires tailored solutions that address the unique needs of each sector, supported by robust infrastructure and timely, high-quality data. Our systems-based approach facilitates the opportunity to apply learnings across our sectors, considering insights from one industry to enhance AI applications in another.”
AI is currently supporting sustainable food and agriculture practices by providing precise information about soil health, water usage, crop needs and more. By analysing data from sensors and satellite imagery, AI can help farmers drive optimisation such as enhanced irrigation schedules, reduced water waste and soil fertility improvement. In addition, AI-enabled predictive models can also forecast weather patterns and pest outbreaks – allowing farmers to take proactive models to protect their crops and ensure stable yields.
S2G subsidiary Sentera is currently working on leveraging AI to create a scalable solution that helps farmers turn vast datasets into accurate and timely insights for improved crop management and resource efficiency. The company’s platform uses advanced machine learning algorithms to automate the processing of diverse data sources – including drone imagery, satellite data and IoT technology.
Through its proprietary analytics engine FieldAgent, Sentera is able to deliver powerful analytics, such as stand counts, weed pressure mapping, plant health observations and crop status. With AI at its core, Sentera empowers real-time data analysis and delivers intelligent crop insights that help farmers take action in the right field at the right time.
This advanced approach enables farmers to swiftly identify patterns, predict crop outcomes and detect anomalies such as pest infestations. In doing so, it not only accelerates data processing but also ensures scalability, helping the agricultural industry adapt to the volatility of climate change.
“Agriculture is a showcase application for the good that AI can do,” says Eric Taipale, Chief Technology Officer at Sentera. “The space has all the right ingredients – large, diverse datasets, a complex, interdependent matrix of decision points and a need for rapid data-to-action – that are all deployed in a real physical environment that features the inherent uncontrollability and imperfect predictability of weather and climate effects.
“AI acts as the active agent for an agronomist or a grower that can plan and replan, continuously, if necessary, to help achieve success in such a dynamic and challenging environment, and do it at a tempo and scale that would otherwise be impossible.”
For the latest in sustainable tech, make sure you’re following us on LinkedIn!
Source: S2G Ventures
