Creating AI-driven Virtual Climate Scientists to introduce both students and the general public to climate science careers

Recent advancements in AI technology have paved the way for the creation of sophisticated, educational avatars. These avatars are human-like in their interactions; they can listen to spoken input, generate appropriate responses, and communicate their answers through synthetic speech.  While AI-generated avatars are becoming more common for a variety of purposes in commercial sectors, they are rarely used in scientific fields. 

This technology represents a unique opportunity to reduce some of the roadblocks which can prevent students from pursing climate science as a career.  1) Many students, especially those from smaller communities, have never personally met a scientist, 2) they do not perceive climate science as a viable career path, and 3) students may not have been exposed to scientists who come from similar cultural backgrounds as themselves.  This project helps to address these challenges by bringing climate scientists directly into schools and communities, allowing students to have one-on-one conversations with scientists who can answer their questions and talk about science-related careers. AI avatars also enable students to engage with climate scientists who reflect their own appearances and cultural backgrounds, fostering a sense of relatability and inclusion.

Our team is creating AI-driven Virtual Climate Scientists who are trained to interact in real-time with both students and the general public.  These AI avatars are able to answer questions about their careers, current research in their field, and educational pathways that an interested student could consider. Each AI avatar represents a different field of climate science, and each has a different personal background, representing a wide range of cultures, educational backgrounds, life experiences, and personal stories.

We will present the current status of the project development, initial testing results from the beta-versions of the avatars, and lessons learned in the creation of each individual Virtual Climate Scientist.