AI for Sustainability Sciences
Ref. 194005
Embracing a modest and ethical approach to artificial intelligence in support of the ecological transition.
- Effort: 5 hours
- Pace: Self paced
- Languages: English, french, portuguese and spanish
What you will learn
At the end of this course, you will be able to:
- understand how artificial intelligence can accelerate action research in the field of sustainability sciences;
- identify the practical barriers to the use of AI in the Global South and strategies for overcoming them, such as frugal AI;
- understand the methods and identify best practices for designing robust, ethical and resource-efficient AI;
- identify the ethical issues surrounding AI to enable its responsible deployment, particularly in the Global South.
Description
Artificial intelligence is transforming the way research is conducted. Automating literature reviews, detecting patterns in vast datasets, helping to formulate hypotheses for testing…: AI is already being used at every stage of the scientific process. This MOOC is aimed at researchers keen to make more measured and ethical use of AI, as well as anyone interested in the potential of these technologies to address global challenges.
Spanning four modules — videos, lectures, quizzes and a forum — it helps participants to understand the fundamental concepts of AI, explore its practical applications in sustainability sciences, and identify its opportunities, limitations and ethical challenges. Particular attention is paid to ‘frugal AI’, designed to operate with minimal data and energy – a more responsible approach, particularly for researchers and research institutions in the Global South.
Developed in collaboration with researchers and academic staff from the IRD (France), the University of Paraíba (Brazil) and the University of Yaoundé 1 (Cameroon), this MOOC is presented by Viviane Lalande, a science communicator.
Format
The course remains open so that you can follow it at your own pace.
Each module consists of videos, course materials and quizzes to test your knowledge.
This course is open access. You can complete the quizzes for formative assessment and to earn your badge.
Prerequisites
No technical prerequisites are required: the course does not require any programming skills or prior knowledge of artificial intelligence.
This MOOC is primarily aimed at researchers, academic staff, PhD students and postdoctoral researchers, as well as those involved in research — engineers, technicians, commercialisation officers or support staff — from all disciplinary backgrounds, who wish to understand and utilise artificial intelligence technologies as a research tool, particularly in the field of sustainability sciences.
However, it is also aimed at professionals in the environmental and development sectors and, more broadly, anyone interested in the major challenges of sustainable development (climate, biodiversity, health, agriculture, etc.).
Particular attention is paid to the realities and needs of countries in the Global South, drawing on the field expertise of IRD researchers — though the ethical and sustainability issues surrounding AI addressed in this MOOC are relevant to all countries.
Required Equipment
A computer, tablet or smartphone with an internet connection is all that is needed to follow this course.
Assessment and certification
Self-assessment and quizzes
A course completion badge will be awarded to learners who have completed all the training modules and successfully passed the quizzes.
Accessibility
This course is designed to be accessible to as many people as possible. It is based on Open edX, whose interface is compatible with the main assistive technologies (screen readers, keyboard navigation, text enlargement). The content of this MOOC aims to comply with the criteria of the General Framework for Improving Accessibility (RGAA).
The course videos are subtitled in French, English, Spanish (Latin America) and Portuguese (Brazil), and their playback speed can be adjusted directly via the video player. Course materials are also available in an enriched text version (including web links, references, etc.), which can be downloaded and viewed offline.
Course plan
- Module 1 — AI & Sustainability
- Module 2 — Issues & Challenges in the Global South
- Module 3 — Methodologies & Tools
- Module 4 — Ethics & Perspectives
Course team
Paulin Melatagia Yonta
Categories
Lecturer and researcher in computer science, University of Yaoundé I (Cameroon)
Presentación del MOOC | Apresentação do MOOC
Partners
This project forms part of the activities of the MIASAGA Structuring Training Programme [1] and the IDEAL International Joint Laboratory [2].
[1] Methodologies and Innovative Approaches for Sustainable Agroecology and Governance Adaptivity
[2] Artificial Intelligence, Data Analytics and Earth Observation Applied to Sustainability Lab
Design and production
Scientific and project leadership — Laure Berti-Equille (IRD)
Steering Committee — Laure Berti-Equille, François Sabot, Sébastien Velut (IRD)
Scientific experts — Laure Berti-Equille (IRD), François Sabot (IRD), Ayla Rebouças (UFPB), Matilde Ernesto (UFPB), Aline Lourenço (UFPB), Paulin Melatagia Yonta (UYI)
Production Coordination — Gaëlle Courcoux, Directorate of Training and Capacity Building (IRD)
Audiovisual production — Viviane Lalande (Scilabus channel)
Audiovisual production — Carole Filiu-Mouhali, Audiovisual Department (IRD)
License
License for the course content
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
You are free to:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material
Under the following terms:
- Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
- ShareAlike — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original.
© IRD 2026 — Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence
License for the content created by course participants
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
You are free to:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material
Under the following terms:
- Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
- ShareAlike — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original.