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Breaking Green: Artificial Intelligence and Generative Biology with Jim Thomas

What is artificial intelligence and how are some corporate interests seeking to hand over the development of genetically engineered organisms to it?
 

What is artificial intelligence and how are some corporate interests seeking to hand over the development of genetically engineered organisms to it?

 Join us as we unpack this question with Jim Thomas, an activist and researcher who challenges the common misconceptions about artificial intelligence. We delve into the historical context of the Luddites and connect their resistance to harmful industrialization with the emerging technological challenges we face today. Our discussion takes a critical angle on how AI intersects with indigenous rights, spotlighting the recent establishment of the CALI Fund at COP16 in Colombia, which aims to ensure fair compensation for the genetic information used by big tech companies.

The world of synthetic biology and genetic engineering is rapidly evolving, with technologies like CRISPR and DNA printing poised to reshape agriculture and ecosystems. But what ethical and ecological concerns arise from this transformation? We explore the commodification of biodiversity and the implications of merging these advancements with AI, leading to new bioeconomies.

The financialization of nature, through initiatives like biodiversity credits, raises significant questions about sustainability, colonialism and the commercialization of genomic data. As we navigate these complex issues, we emphasize the urgent need for societal oversight to safeguard the common good.

Note: This episode’s image of the wooly mammoth was created with openart.ai. We found the result interesting, but do we want to use it to create new organisms and hand over our collective future to artificial intelligence?

Watch a one minute clip!

Jim Thomas is an activist, writer, researcher and poet with almost three decades international experience tracking emerging technologies, ecological change, biodiversity and food systems – on behalf of movements and in UN fora. Until recently he shared in the work of the ETC Collective where he was formerly Co-Executive director and Research Director. Now, as a free- roaming sentinel, his observations and reflections can be found on the website Scan the Horizon. Jim is also an AI Market and Power Fellow with the European AI and Society Fund.

The Breaking Green Podcast is produced by Global Justice Ecology Project. Breaking Green is made possible by tax deductible donations from people like you. Please help us lift up the voices of those working to protect forests, defend human rights and expose false solutions. Donate securely online here or simply text GIVE to 716-257-4187

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Transcripts and Chapter Markers for this Episode can be found on Breaking Green’s Buzzsprout Page.

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