UN Climate Change Technology Executive Committee and Enterprise Neurosystem to Award Grand Prize for 2024 AI Innovation Grand Challenge to Dr. Letetia Addison at COP29

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The UN Climate Change Technology Executive Committee (TEC) and the Enterprise Neurosystem are pleased to announce Dr. Letetia Addison of Trinidad and Tobago as the Grand Prize winner of the 2024 AI Innovation Grand Challenge.

Co-hosted by the TEC and the Enterprise Neurosystem under the UN Climate Change Technology Mechanism Initiative on #AI4ClimateAction, this global competition aimed to identify and support the development of #AI4ClimateAction solutions to address climate change in the most vulnerable developing countries, including small island developing States (SIDS) and least developed countries (LDCs). Sponsors included Kove, Red Hat, and Google.

Dr. Addison's winning proposal, "AI-Driven Climate Resilience Platform for SIDS (AI4SIDS)" sought to use artificial intelligence to help SIDS adapt to the impacts of climate change. She will be honored at an award ceremony at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, on 16 November 2024. Furthermore, Dr. Addison will present the winning solution to an audience of international climate policymakers, technologists, scientists, and financiers.

In addition to the award ceremony and presentation, Dr. Addison will join Enterprise Neurosystem representatives to participate in other activities at COP29, including a Capacities for Climate Innovation Day on 18 November.

The competition received 114 solution proposals from 62 countries (including 19 LDCs and SIDS) across six continents. Eight judges appointed by the TEC and the Enterprise Neurosystem conducted two rounds of evaluation to select ten finalists, from which the top five solutions were chosen:

• AI4SIDS: AI-Driven Climate Resilience Platform for SIDS. Team leader: Letetia Addison, Trinidad and Tobago (Award Winning)
• Chameleon AI: AI-powered platform to transform irrigation practices for smallholder farmers in Malawi. Team leader: Alinafe Kaliwo, Malawi.
• Climate Smart Irrigator: Smart Water-Food-Energy Food Nexus Efficiency Irrigation. Team leader: Edmond Ng'walago, Tanzania.
• EmTrack by ACBA Energy: AI application for emissions-tracking and carbon emission quantification. Team leader: Nair de Sousa, Angola.
• RAICE: AI-Driven Precision Irrigation for Sustainable Rice Farming in Nepal. Team leader: Asbina Baral, Nepal.

The top five teams will share over US$5 million in technology and services to help them further develop their AI-powered climate solutions. Prizes include:

• Kove: US$5 million in credits for Kove:SDM™, its Software-Defined Memory technology.
• Red Hat: US$300,000 in credits for Red Hat OpenShift AI on Red Hat OpenShift Service on AWS (ROSA).
• Google: six month membership in the Google Startups For Sustainable Development Program, value at US$40,000

"I would like to express my sincere appreciation for the many entries we received from around the world," said Thibyan Ibrahim, TEC Chair. "I was inspired to see the wealth of examples of how AI is already being used for effective climate action in developing countries, particularly in least developed countries and small island developing States, and I look forward to meeting our winner from Trinidad and Tobago at COP 29 in Baku."

"The AI Innovation Grand Challenge showcases AI's transformative power to address the climate crisis. The ingenuity and vision displayed by participants inspires us to push the boundaries of what's possible," said Bill Wright, Chair of the Enterprise Neurosystem. "At the Enterprise Neurosystem, we are committed to empowering emerging AI innovators worldwide by providing the technical assistance and mentorship they need to develop and deploy their climate solutions. Our partnership with the TEC on this competition fosters a global community dedicated to #AI4ClimateAction."

Further information on the Grand Challenge, including details of the evaluation process and finalists, is provided in an Enterprise Neurosystem blog post @

https://medium.com/the-enterprise-neurosystem-blog/grand-prize-winner-runners-up-na med-for-ai-innovation-grand-challenge-59ec12787f19.

About the Enterprise Neurosystem

The Enterprise Neurosystem, an open-source AI research community of 190 volunteer scientists and engineers, is building an AI "neurology" to monitor the planet's health. They envision a global network integrating all climate projects, with AI models analyzing real-time and historical data from sources like satellites, oceanic sensors, and AI sensors embedded within natural biosystems (e.g., beehives, fungi). This "Internet for Nature" will empower diverse stakeholders, from the United Nations to individual citizens, to make informed decisions for a sustainable future. Learn more at www.enterpriseneurosystem.org.

About the TEC

The Technology Executive Committee (TEC) is the policy component of the Technology Mechanism of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC, also known as UN Climate Change), which was established by the Conference of the Parties in 2010 to facilitate the implementation of enhanced action on climate technology development and transfer. The TEC analyzes climate technology issues and develops policies that can accelerate the development and transfer of low-emission and climate resilient technologies.

Notes for Editors

Details and agenda for the AI Innovation Grand Challenge Award Ceremony: https://unfccc.int/ttclear/events/2024/2024_event04.

Details of the agenda for the Capacities for Climate Innovation Day: https://unfccc.int/topics/capacity-building/events-meetings/capacity-building-hub/6th-cap acity-building-hub-cop-29-2024/capacities-for-climate-innovation-day-6th-capacity-buildi ng-hub

The Grand Challenge website with information on finalists, sponsors and prizes. https://enter.innovationgrandchallenge.ai/2024.

Media Contact
Peter Harris
For the Enterprise Neurosystem
[email protected]

SOURCE Kove