
About this episode
Priya Donti discusses the role of AI in addressing climate change and the challenges faced in her research.
There's no shortage of headlines about AI's environmental toll — but what if this technology could also help solve the climate crisis? Priya Donti, MIT Assistant Professor and co-founder of Climate Change AI, believes AI can play a critical role in the fight against climate change, though she's quick to say it's no silver bullet. Donti is using machine learning to tackle some of our most urgent environmental challenges, from optimizing power grids to training the next generation of climate leaders. In this episode, she gets candid about what AI can and can't do, what it's like doing climate research under a hostile Trump administration, and why — even on the precipice of climate disaster — she hasn't lost hope. Learn more about Pioneers of AI: http://pioneersof.ai/ Follow Pioneers of AI on all channels: https://linktr.ee/pioneersofai See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
People in this episode
Guest: Priya Donti
Topics covered
- AI
- climate change
- power grids
- machine learning
- environmental challenges
Keywords
- AI
- climate crisis
- power grid optimization
- machine learning
- environmental research
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: MIT, Climate Change AI
Places: Trump administration
More episodes of Pioneers of AI
- Does AI know you better than your doctor? w/ Ōura CEO Tom Hale · June 10, 2026 · 40 min
- Reimagining business school through AI with MasterClass CEO David Rogier · June 3, 2026 · 35 min
- Rapid Response: Duolingo’s battle for learning in an AI world, with Luis von Ahn · June 1, 2026 · 32 min
- What it means to be raised by AI · May 27, 2026 · 26 min
- How fast can you upskill in AI? We did a sprint to find out. · May 20, 2026 · 34 min
- Possible: Should we give AI a bank account? · May 18, 2026 · 57 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Pioneers of AI podcast page.