Y2E2 Building, 299
473 Via Ortega, Stanford, CA 94305
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Event Details:
EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE
SEMINAR SERIES
April 16, 2026
12:00 - 1:00 PM
Y2E2, Room 299
Ramit Debnath, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor and Executive Director (CHIA)
Centre for Human-Inspired AI (CHIA), University of Cambridge
“Micro-signals of social tipping mechanisms in climate actions using human-centric AI”
Abstract
Earth system science increasingly recognises that coupled human–environment dynamics can cross critical thresholds, i.e., tipping points, where reinforcing feedback drive rapid, potentially irreversible systemic change. Understanding how social and physical processes interact at and near these thresholds remains a central challenge for earth system modelling. In this talk, we explore how emerging approaches from computational social science and human-centred AI might offer complementary perspectives on these dynamics. We examine global discourse across online platforms to illustrate how shifts in public discussion, such as crisis-driven information flows and contested narratives around climate interventions, may act as social precursors that influence environmental governance at moments of system stress. In parallel, we apply a multimodal AI framework to analyse global hydroelectric infrastructure from satellite imagery, identifying a significant number of previously unrecorded facilities and quantifying associated environmental pressures, including proximity to protected areas and changes in runoff. By piloting the integration of social-signal analysis with AI, this work represents a step toward bridging disciplinary gaps in how we observe and analyse human–environment feedback near potential tipping points. We propose that such integrated methodologies, as they are further developed, could contribute valuable components to the next generation of earth system models, supporting more comprehensive threshold risk assessment and policy design.
Biography
Dr. Ramit Debnath is an Assistant Professor and Executive Director of Centre for Human-Inspired AI (CHIA) at the University of Cambridge, where his group pioneers responsible AI systems for climate and environmental sustainability. His work advances environmental computational social sciences, designing tools to mitigate emissions and align AI with public good. He leads the Cambridge Collective Intelligence and Design Group and climaTRACES Lab, advises the UK Government on AI methods, and co-leads Caltech’s Climate and Social Intelligence Lab. A Gates Scholar, he holds an MPhil-PhD from Cambridge in engineering and computational social sciences.