The AI raises an alarm when the forest breaks down
The ELIAS Alliance aims to network AI research in the areas of sustainability and ethics across Europe. Germany is home to three of the eight hubs.
Luca Rehse-Knauf,
20.05.2026 
A forest does not just suddenly die. It is a process that takes many years and is reflected in temperature data, humidity figures and satellite images. Identifying the point at which an ecosystem breaks down is a complex process. AI systems can help here. A team of researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry in Jena (MPI-BGC) is working on establishing how exactly AI can help.
The MPI-BGC is an associated member of the European Lighthouse of AI for Sustainability (ELIAS), an EU-funded research network with partners in 17 countries and hubs in eight European cities including Tübingen, Munich and Potsdam.
The network’s key goal is to combine technology with social accountability. “Artificial intelligence can play a key role in mastering urgent challenges such as climate change and the energy crisis,” says Matthias Bethge, Founding Director of the Tübingen AI Center and Head of the ELIAS Alliance. “For this to be a success, public research and teaching in Europe needs a clearer mandate for developing AI systems that are suitable for everyday use and from which the population at large will benefit.”
Bridge between science and business
The EU-funded project is initially going to focus on basic research, addressing three central questions: How can computing costs be reduced? How can the societal impact of political decision-making be modelled? How does AI impact the everyday life of individuals? A part of the funding is also to be used for establishing the ELIAS Alliance as a bridge between the areas of science and business. One example of this is the AI Launchpad, a funding programme for AI start-ups that is bringing together researchers and entrepreneurs from across Europe.
“We don’t want an AI that replaces researchers“
Each hub sets its own focus areas. More than 300 scientists in 30 groups are conducting research at the Tübingen AI Center. A current project is dedicated to exploring how AI can assist the scientific process. “We don’t want an AI that replaces researchers but one that enhances their capacities,” the AI researcher Andreas Geiger says. In Munich, the Europe-wide ELLIS network, on which the ELIAS Alliance is based, is using AI to analyse X-ray images to detect diseases at an early stage. At the Hasso Plattner Institute in Potsdam, the alliance supports start-ups and their projects, such as a system that enables companies to measure their carbon dioxide emissions.
