We Need Planetary Intelligence in the Age of AI
We Need Planetary Intelligence in the Age of AI
https://time.com/article/2026/07/07/we-need-planetary-intelligence-in-the-age-of-ai/
Publish Date: 2026-07-07 16:35:00
Source Domain: time.com
The marvel of human intelligence and consciousness, however, did not arise from computation alone. They arose from computation coupled to sensing and interacting in a physical environment. The feedback loop between organism and environment is foundational; we humans learn, adapt, and become self-aware in substantial part because we have bodies that receive a constant, high-bandwidth stream of physical reality.
Though it may sound like science fiction, we are on the verge of providing this exact grounding to AI. By converging the vast, continuous visual memory of our planet captured by satellites and other real-world sensors with artificial intelligence, we should soon have Large Earth Models (LEMs). While LLMs have consumed the internet’s text, LEMs will consume visual data from imaging satellites, weather sensors, drones, cameras, and more. This architecture will function structurally as a kind of embodiment, giving AI the equivalent of a sensory nervous system connected to the entire Earth. I call it “Planetary Intelligence.”
