Planetary Intelligence v0.1
A Practical Framework for Extending Human Intelligence in Service of a Living Earth
Planetary intelligence is not a superintelligent AI, a global command-and-control system, or a disembodied moral authority.
It is a capacity: the ability of human societies—augmented by responsible technology and grounded in Earth’s living systems—to understand the consequences of our actions, coordinate across scales, and support the planet’s inherent ability to heal.
Planetary intelligence emerges from relationship, not computation alone. It is distributed, bioregional, plural, and inherently ecological.
This document presents the v0.1 operational definition, the initial architecture, and the first three concrete components of a research program to develop it responsibly.
1. What Planetary Intelligence Is
Planetary intelligence is a cooperative, multi-layered system in which:
1. Earth provides signals
– ecological thresholds, climate patterns, hydrological flows, biodiversity dynamics, and indicators of system stress or resilience.
2. Human communities provide meaning and values
– cultural interpretation, lived experience, relational ethics, and long-term responsibilities.
3. AI provides pattern amplification
– modeling, scenario exploration, early-warning detection, knowledge synthesis, and decision-support.
None of these is sufficient alone. Together, they form a hybrid intelligence capable of helping humanity live within planetary boundaries while regenerating ecosystems and supporting human well-being.
Planetary intelligence is therefore:
- local first (bioregional before global),
- relational (guided by reciprocity, responsibility, humility),
- plural (multiple knowledge systems co-governing),
- ecologically grounded (Earth systems science as baseline), and
- self-limiting (energy- and water-aware, governed by metabolic constraints).
This framing directly addresses critiques from all external reviewers: too vague, too anthropomorphic, too global in abstraction, and insufficiently grounded in governance, energy use, and epistemic justice.
2. What Planetary Intelligence Is Not
To clarify scope and prevent misunderstanding:
Planetary intelligence is not:
- artificial general intelligence (AGI),
- “AI wisdom,”
- a central planetary supercomputer,
- an automated planetary management system,
- an excuse to technocratize ecological decision-making,
- or a replacement for human judgment, Indigenous knowledge, or ecological experience.
Planetary intelligence is about coordinated seeing and acting, not automated control.
3. Version 0.1 Architecture
This architecture avoids overreach and anchors the initiative in discrete, buildable components.
Layer 1 — Earth Signals
Real environmental data: watersheds, soils, species, climate indicators, land use, hydrology, trophic relationships.
Layer 2 — Human and Cultural Interpretation
Knowledge holders, communities, practitioners, Indigenous leaders, scientists, local governments.
Layer 3 — AI as Amplifier, Not Authority
Models that:
- detect change,
- reveal hidden patterns,
- generate scenarios,
- warn of thresholds,
- synthesize complexity,
- show long-term consequences clearly.
AI never replaces human meaning-making.
Layer 4 — Bioregional Intelligence Nodes
Each bioregion becomes a node of planetary intelligence, with its own:
- data streams,
- governance,
- knowledge systems,
- priorities,
- cultural context.
Planetary intelligence is the network of these nodes, not a single system.
Layer 5 — Commons Governance
Based on:
- Indigenous-informed relational protocols,
- multi-stakeholder councils,
- transparency,
- right to veto harmful uses,
- “slow AI” patterns (deliberation latency, reflection).
This directly answers concerns about technocracy, colonial extraction, and AI-driven overreach.
Layer 6 — Regenerative Action & Feedback Loops
Outputs support:
- watershed restoration,
- regenerative agriculture and land care,
- biodiversity recovery,
- climate adaptation,
- community economic resilience,
- policy and planning.
Layer 7 — Metabolic Accounting
Planetary intelligence must monitor its own footprint:
- energy intensity,
- water use,
- carbon emissions,
- hardware lifecycle,
- net regenerative impact.
This layer comes directly from the best critiques and is essential for credibility.
4. v0.1 Research and Development Program
A realistic, funder-ready, three-part program rooted in the critiques from Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, Qwen, and Grok.
Workstream A — Bioregional Intelligence Pilot
(A practical place to start; not “planetary” in abstraction.)
Location: Genesee–Finger Lakes (first), plus one contrasting bioregion.
Outputs:
- Bioregional Twin v0.1 (a real, functioning prototype)
- Watershed dashboard showing ecological indicators
- Decision-support for regenerative planning
- Regenerative finance scenario tools
- Governance structure including Indigenous advisors, local partners, ecologists
This answers the critique: “Too abstract; what do you actually build first?”
Workstream B — Integrity, Ontologies, and Epistemic Safety
1. AI Integrity Checker v1.0
A real prototype that:
- red-teams ecological and social harms,
- identifies extraction patterns,
- evaluates model bias and brittleness,
- surfaces misalignment in recommendations.
(Claude correctly noted: this is hard, but doable at limited scope.)
2. Regenerative Ontology v0.1
A shared language for ecological, cultural, economic, and relational concepts, co-developed with:
- Indigenous scholars
- regenerative practitioners
- ecologists
- systems scientists
- AI researchers
Qwen’s contribution here was invaluable: ontology co-design is the only way to avoid epistemic domination.
3. Planetary Unintelligence Map
A synthesis of systemic blind spots and failure modes in:
- global governance
- AI systems
- scientific institutions
- markets
- ecological feedback understanding
Based on Qwen’s critique: we cannot build planetary intelligence without first naming planetary unintelligence.
Workstream C — Governance & Cultural Infrastructure
1. Planetary Intelligence Commons Charter v0.1
A living governance protocol defining:
- roles,
- authorities,
- power boundaries,
- data ethics,
- decision rights,
- Indigenous veto rights,
- metabolic limits.
Addresses Perplexity’s and Qwen’s critiques about governance opacity and power asymmetry.
2. Slow AI Patterns
Intentional delays and reflection prompts in high-stakes contexts—
a counterweight to speed-obsessed AI development.
3. Hybrid Intelligence Labs
Place-based gatherings where communities, scientists, Indigenous experts, and AI systems work together on actual ecological problems.
4. Regenerative Metrics
A small, clear set of indicators, combining:
- ecological integrity,
- human well-being,
- coordination quality,
- long-term decision latency,
- machine metabolism.
5. How this addresses the criticisms
1. “It’s too abstract.”
The bioregional pilot, Integrity Checker, and Regenerative Ontology make the vision tangible.
2. “It’s too big / too broad.”
v0.1 now centers around three buildable components and one bioregion.
3. “It risks technocracy.”
Governance now centers Indigenous relational authority, epistemic plurality, and community-led oversight.
4. “AI harms the environment.”
Metabolic accounting becomes a foundation, not an afterthought.
5. “AI cannot develop wisdom.”
Wisdom is relocated to communities, cultures, and governance—not the model.
6. “Planetary intelligence is colonial by default.”
Not anymore. The architecture now requires:
- distributed nodes,
- relational consent,
- place-based sovereignty,
- plural epistemologies,
- Indigenous veto power.
7. “This needs a technical backbone.”
The Integrity Checker, Ontology, and Bioregional Twin provide a credible engineering core.
6. In short: Planetary Intelligence v0.1 is…
A distributed, relational, ecological intelligence built from:
- bioregional pilots,
- responsible AI tools,
- Indigenous-informed governance,
- Earth system science,
- regenerative economics,
- and a modest, metabolically-conscious technical infrastructure.
It is an upgrade to human collective capacity, not a replacement for human or ecological wisdom.
It is a path toward enabling humanity to hear the Earth more clearly—and act accordingly.