A French company has developed an innovative AI-powered tool to address environmental challenges, leveraging data from reputable sources such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), including ChatGPT.
The French project “Climate Q&A” aims to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to promote ecological and climate-conscious behaviors. This innovative initiative, also known as “GiecGPT” by Ekimetrics, utilizes the widely-used ChatGPT platform to provide information to the public about necessary changes in their daily lives to combat global warming and live sustainably within planetary boundaries.
As a data science and artificial intelligence company, Ekimetrics has created a cutting-edge tool to empower the general public with accurate information on climate-related inquiries. This tool aims to not only address common questions citizens may have, but also combat the spread of misinformation and fake news related to the climate emergency. Drawing data from reputable sources such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the Intergovernmental Science and Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), the International Energy Agency (IEA), the European Parliament, and more, the tool provides comprehensive and reliable answers. Users also have the option to narrow their search to IPCC reports for enhanced consistency in responses.
Reliable climate information with ChatGPT for sorting and paraphrasing
“What is the Paris Agreement?”, “Is climate change caused by human activities?”, “Which industries are the most polluting?”, “What can I do to combat climate change?” – These are just some of the questions that Climate Q&A can provide quick and easily understandable answers to in seconds. The tool is currently available for free only in English.
The development of Climate Q&A involved a team of five individuals working diligently for two months. The system operates in two stages: first, Ekimetrics sources information from reputable reports with robust scientific sources, such as IPCC, IEA, IPBES, etc., and selects the top ten passages that align with the query. Next, ChatGPT takes over, sorting through this preselection to identify the most relevant information and paraphrasing the answers to make them easily understandable for the general public.
Climate Q&A: simplifying environmental issues
The goal of this new AI-powered tool for environmental issues is to democratize access to complex information. Leveraging over 10,000 pages of scientific reports from the IPCC, Climate Q&A makes extensive and high-quality scientific resources easily accessible to everyone. This allows individuals to gain insights from these valuable resources that they might have otherwise been discouraged from exploring due to the overwhelming data and scientific jargon.
Climate Q&A provides suggested questions to help users learn more about global warming, and each answer is accompanied by links to sources in official reports for further exploration. Despite some areas for improvement, such as the integration of footnotes from IPCC reports and the need for a French interface, the results are promising. However, it’s worth noting that a single request on this interface emits four times more CO2 compared to a simple Google search, as ChatGPT is energy-intensive. Efforts to mitigate its environmental impact may be necessary in the future.
