Digital platform Ubuntoo has today launched a new AI model hailed as “ChatGPT for environmentalism”, in an effort to provide knowledge to companies and institutions seeking to enhance the environmental performance of their operations.
The AI-powered tool, described as a “digital sustainability consultant”, draws upon a database developed over five years to answer questions on a wide variety of corporate sustainability topics, including plastic reduction, recycling, energy transition, food and agriculture, and supply chain efficiencies. Users can seek advice by typing inquires into a search engine-like homepage.
Ubuntoo founders and former Coca-Cola vice presidents, Peter Schelstraete and Venkatesh Kini, described the new platform as the “green ChatGPT”.
“As global environmental legislation tightens, and consumers grow more environmentally conscious, businesses are full of ambition to be part of the solution,” Schelstraete said. “However, even for the most ambitious companies, it remains very hard to implement an ESG strategy.
“With Ubuntoo AI, we are leveraging AI and human expertise to provide better access to environmental solutions.”
The launch comes amidst a fast-evolving debate over the role of AI-enabled large language models in business. Advocates argue the technology can improve access to information and boost efficiency, while critics have warned the approach faces a raft of copyright, plagiairism, and accuracy issues, even before wider AI-related risks are considered.
Schelstraete stressed that AI is “not a replacement for human intelligence”, but argued the technology promised to bring multiple benefits if used effectively.
“It is a tool and one we must all learn to work alongside for the benefit of societies around the world,” he said. “As with all new technologies, there must be effective regulation to ensure safe use but we should not restrict progress based on select anxieties around AI that can be managed.
“If the world is to tackle the existential challenges of global warming, plastic pollution and deforestation, no tool can be put in the ‘too difficult’ pile. AI can help organisations and companies tap into expertise on sustainability, finding practical solutions to complex problems and crucial knowledge in a matter of seconds.”
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