In a moment of climate urgency and digital transformation, AI Ecologies Lab asks: What might artificial intelligence look like if it were rooted in ecological thinking, not extractivism?
The AI Ecologies Lab is a research-creation initiative that explores how artificial intelligence can be reimagined through ecological, ethical, and culturally situated lenses. Developed in collaboration with local and international partners (Society for Arts and Technology, Milieux, Applied AI, Abundant Intelligences) the Lab supports artists and technologists in prototyping new forms of AI that resist extractivism and embrace sustainability, care, and plural worldviews. From localized language models and low-energy networks to climate-aware animation and Indigenous-led frameworks, the Lab fosters experimental projects that challenge dominant AI narratives and propose regenerative alternatives grounded in both technological and relational innovation.
Over the course of 6 months, a cohort of six selected projects were developed through workshops and sessions with mentors (Mila, SAT, Abundant Intelligences, Applied AI Institute, Accenture Song, and The Climate Reality Project). The residency culminated with a hackathon that took place at the SAT in June 2025. The projects will be exhibited at the MUTEK Forum 2025.
Selected projects:
A locally-trained LLM and chatbot using city-specific data—leveraging hydro-powered servers to reduce energy and improve relevance
Translates lichen growth, an air-quality bioindicator, into an immersive AI-driven "alphabet" of ecological transformation
A decentralized network using low-energy devices (inspired by lo-tech and pufferfish) to probe collaborative, non-extractive AI models
Uses open-source 3D AI tools to explore ethical creation, authorship, and the labor dynamics of automated content generation
Advances entropy in reinforcement learning to foster model adaptability while reducing energy needs—shifting from brittle to robust AI systems
Real-time energy monitoring embedded in AI tools—displaying power use and CO₂ impact to raise awareness and prompt accountability
Thank you to the Canada Council for the Arts and the City of Montreal for their support. This project is funded as part of the Cultural Development Agreement of Montreal established between the City of Montreal and the Government of Quebec.
Photos by Felix Bonnevie