RELX Group Fireside Chat: Sustainability LIVE London 2024

November 25, 2024

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Márcia Balisciano, Chief Sustainability Officer and Global Head of Corporate Responsibility at RELX Group, explored AI’s role in a sustainable future

Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping industries worldwide and its potential for driving sustainability was a key discussion at Sustainability LIVE London Global Summit 2024.

Márcia Balisciano, Chief Sustainability Officer and Global Head of Corporate Responsibility at RELX Group, delved into how AI supports sustainability efforts, shared examples from her organisation and outlined both the opportunities and challenges this transformative technology presents.

An evolving perspective on AI

Opening the session, Márcia highlights her journey in sustainability and AI.

Acknowledging her non-technical background, she emphasises that understanding AI doesn’t require technical expertise but instead a focus on how to use its capabilities effectively.

Márcia describes her role in shaping the organisation’s sustainability focus and reflects on AI’s historical trajectory—from Alan Turing’s foundational work in the 1950s to the rapid advancements in generative AI today.

She explains the basics of AI and its different forms, particularly extractive and generative AI.

Generative AI, which has gained traction in the last 18 months, interprets human speech and generates responses, as seen with tools like ChatGPT.

Citing a startling statistic, Márcia points out the exponential leap in AI’s development—from Google’s Bard with “340 million parameters” in 2019 to estimates of GPT-4 potentially incorporating “100 trillion parameters.”

Márcia remarks, “AI is the worst it’s ever going to be today,” and suggests “the ultimate goal is that it will understand human speech as well as you can.”

Márcia Balisciano, Chief Sustainability Officer and Global Head of Corporate Responsibility at RELX Group at Sustainability LIVE London Global Summit 2024

Real-world applications driving sustainability

Márcia shares specific examples of AI’s impact within RELX.

RELX leverages AI to advance society, protect communities and support the rule of law.

In their science division, Elsevier, RELX has developed Scopus AI, a generative AI tool that enables scientists to access and cite vast databases of research efficiently.

“Scopus AI is able to take the query (whether you use that in scientific language or you just ask a very simple question) and is able to bring all of that data to you quickly.”

Márcia explains, “we can also cite sources”, addressing a key challenge of generative AI - ensuring the reliability of sources to avoid hallucinations.

She emphasises that this transparency is critical, particularly for legal and scientific users who depend on robust data for informed decision-making.

Another example came from RELX’s work on universal access to information through its Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Resource Centre.

This platform curates free content on the SDGs and fosters initiatives such as Inspiration Day, where discussions explore how AI intersects with pressing global issues.

One standout application of AI in sustainability was its use in Brazil’s justice system, where it streamlines low-level case management to address the backlog and improve access to legal remedies.

Márcia highlights, “LexisNexis have created some fundamental aspects of the rule of law and one of them is the access to remedy.”

Márcia Balisciano explored AI's role in a sustainable future during a fireside chat at Sustainability LIVE London 2024

Opportunities and challenges ahead

Looking to the next decade, Márcia discusses the evolving role of AI in tackling environmental challenges.

She mentions the synergy between AI and emerging quantum computing technologies, which promise unparalleled speed and precision and is “exponentially faster”.

Márcia continues to highlight how it will also “help us particularly on environmental challenges”, like “energy consumption patterns, weather patterns and cloud patterns.”

However, Márcia acknowledges the significant risks associated with AI, particularly the danger of amplifying biases.

Responding to an audience question about embedding societal prejudices in AI models, she stresses the importance of human oversight and rigorous bias detection. RELX has established Responsible AI Principles, prioritising respect for privacy, bias prevention, and transparency.

Márcia’s insightful discussion at Sustainability LIVE London Global Summit illuminates AI’s growing role in sustainability and underscores the importance of collaboration, ethics and foresight in this dynamic field.

Her closing message was clear: while the possibilities of AI are vast, its responsible use is crucial for building a sustainable future.

Márcia Balisciano, Chief Sustainability Officer and Global Head of Corporate Responsibility at RELX Group