Goldman Sachs announced its collaboration with the MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab to develop artificial intelligence applications for biodiversity measurement. This initiative aims to scale nature-based financial products and address growing demands for nature-related assessments by corporates and financial institutions.
“Accurately measuring biodiversity is key to unlocking the finance needed for conservation of critical habitats around the world. Goldman Sachs and the MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab will be able to develop actionable applications, enhanced with artificial intelligence, for biodiversity-related finance. We know from our experience — from preserving Karukinka Natural Park to underwriting conservation-linked bonds in recent years — that measurement is crucial,” said Kara Succoso Mangone, Head of the Sustainable Finance Group at Goldman Sachs.
Christina Shim, Chief Sustainability Officer at IBM said, “It is easy to understand that nature is vital to our well-being, but it is more difficult to quantify exactly how it is doing. For this new project, researchers from the MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab will apply the latest technology toward this question, with the goal of helping organizations measure, monitor, and invest in biodiversity.”
The collaboration comes as biodiversity loss is recognised by the World Economic Forum as one of the top three global risks over the next decade. With regulators, investors, and advocates emphasising “nature-positive” outcomes, corporations are under pressure to measure and restore biodiversity. Finance plays a critical role in this transition, as the Global Biodiversity Framework estimates a $700 billion annual biodiversity finance gap through 2030.
The project will leverage advanced AI models to process multimodal geospatial data, integrating streams from satellites, drones, ground-based sensors, and more to create actionable ecological measurements. By developing these innovative monitoring strategies, the collaboration aims to provide tools that market participants can use for activities ranging from fundraising to reporting in biodiversity markets.
