In September, the Wisdom Council took on the challenge of selecting an environmental topic they believed would spark engagement across the Planeteer community.
“We chose to focus on Artificial Intelligence and its impact on the environment because AI is one of the most used technologies in the world today — but many people don’t realize its environmental effects,” said Sait Jallow, Wisdom Council Member and event organizer.
On October 24th, 2025, Planeteer Alliance’s Wisdom Council hosted “AI + The Environment: Harnessing Potential, Navigating Pitfalls.” This live virtual event was open to all Planeteers and featured three distinguished young industry professionals who shared insights and answered questions, followed by an interactive Q&A.
Click on the following link: AI + The Environment: Harnessing Potential, Navigating Pitfalls to watch the recording of the event!
The Panelists
Led by our Wisdom Council, these Planeteer Leaders utilized their own network and connections to secure three esteemed panelists:
Eno Peters, based in Abuja, Nigeria, is the founder of Afritech Intelligence and a Product Manager and AI Innovation Strategist focused on using technology for sustainable community impact. She is dedicated to mentoring the next generation to use tech responsibly for a climate-positive future.
Bashir Sheidu, of Jos, Nigeria, serves as COO of nHub Nigeria and nHub Foundation– which develops young people with the skills to support innovative tech startups and launch careers in the tech industry. He has mentored thousands of youth and is an expert in digital transformation, agritech, and startup incubation.
Joseph Ngurthiru, of Nairobi, Kenya, is a world-renowned climate-tech engineer passionate about sustainability and transforming lives through positive impact. He won the 2025 United Nations Young Champion of the Earth, is an Obama Leader, and is among the 40 Under 40 Africa.
“Start Small, Stay Curious”
To begin the event, attendees were asked, “How often do you use AI in your daily life?” 62% reported they use AI ‘All the time’ and 38% said ‘Not at all.’
Throughout the discussion, each panelist offered unique insights into how they view AI as a tool that must continue to evolve to reduce its environmental footprint while helping address pressing climate issues – including waste management, flood mapping, deforestation prevention, and improving crop yields for farmers.
“Start small, stay curious, and focus on problems that impact your community,” said Eno Peters.
Both Joseph Ngurthiru and Bashir Sheidu emphasized that AI will begin to optimize systems – especially in Africa – when rural communities and villages have access to localized data sets to power this technology. “The sad part is that AI was not made for us in Africa,” explained Nguthiru.
Sheidu explained that his organization, nHub Nigeria, is working hard to launch agritech startups focused on building these localized data sets. This is the first step towards enabling AI tools that can meaningfully improve quality of life for local communities.
From addressing its environmental paradoxes to dissecting water consumption, the Wisdom Council’s Social Media Committee developed content to inform the Planeteer community about AI and its impacts on the environment prior to the event. Go to our Instagram to view more of their content!
Closing Remarks
The conversation also touched on AI policy, noting that some countries view the technology as a detriment to people’s critical thinking skills and education. Ultimately, the panelists agreed that, as long as young people continue developing skills that AI cannot replicate, they should not view it as a threat.
“The universe has given you superpowers, and the superpower is for you to innovate, identify problems, and solve them,” said Bashir Sheidu.
Nguthiru likens the dawn of AI to the dawn of past revolutionary technologies.
“We are living in the era when they discovered oil; the era where they discovered mobility and the wheel. This is an equalizer for everyone. Don’t waste this opportunity,” said Nguthiru.