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The Conversation
The Conversation
Environment
Martin Gibert, Chercheur en éthique de l'intelligence artificielle, Université de Montréal

Online algorithms could help save the planet with just a few small tweaks

YouTube's algorithm is extremely powerful. If the company were to direct some of its users's attention to pro-climate content, this would likely have positive consequences on a large scale. (Shutterstock)

Have we tried everything to tackle the climate crisis? At least one simple idea has hardly been explored: prioritizing climate content on social media.

The climate crisis is seriously aggravated by a lack of attention, including in the recent United States presidential election campaign. But algorithmic recommenders could help, as they are responsible for a significant proportion of how human attention online is allocated. Algorithmic recommenders are artificial intelligence systems that suggest content, such as news feeds, music or videos, to people based on their behaviour and preferences.

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