The Bezos Earth Fund has announced the 24 winners of its artificial intelligence “grand challenge,” distributing $50,000 each to early-stage projects that aim to use AI to address climate change and biodiversity loss.
This first phase, totaling $1.2 million in funding, is part of a broader $100 million initiative launched last year by the Bezos Earth Fund to explore how AI can support this area. The fund said the aim is not just to back individual solutions, but to help shape a flexible, evolving strategy for how AI can be leveraged for environmental good.
The 24 selected projects span three thematic areas — biodiversity conservation, sustainable protein development, and power grid optimization — with a fourth “wildcard” category allowing for broader experimentation. Grantees range from university researchers to early-stage innovators and nonprofits.
About the author
Ayenat Mersie
Ayenat Mersie is a Global Development Reporter for Devex. Previously, she worked as a freelance journalist for publications such as National Geographic and Foreign Policy and as an East Africa correspondent for Reuters.
