The lecture titled "New Challenges to Understand Global Changes in Cybernetic Times," delivered by Prof. Riccardo VALENTINI, Professor of Forest Ecology at the Department for Innovations in Biological, Agri-food and Forest Systems, University of Tuscia, Italy, and moderated by Prof. Charles WONG Man Sing, Associate Dean (FCE), Professor of LSGI, and Management Committee Member of RILS at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, was successfully held on 25 June 2026. The event attracted a robust audience of nearly 100 participants, with over 70 attendees joining on-site at Block Z and an additional 20 connecting virtually. This strong turnout reflected the significant interest in the intersection of biogeosciences and emerging technologies as the Earth system undergoes unprecedented transformation.
During the session, Prof. Valentini framed the current era as "cybernetic times," characterized by complex feedback loops binding planetary processes, human activities, and intelligent machines. The discussion highlighted how the convergence of the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, and robotics is revolutionizing our capacity to observe and model the planet. Key topics included the use of distributed sensor networks for real-time environmental monitoring, AI-driven analysis for detecting early-warning signals of abrupt change, and autonomous robotic platforms that extend scientific observation into extreme environments where humans cannot reach.
The lecture addressed the profound epistemological and methodological questions raised by this technological convergence, particularly regarding how to integrate these tools into a coherent understanding of Earth system dynamics. Prof. Valentini emphasised the need for a new research agenda where technology is viewed not merely as an instrument, but as a constitutive element of a new way of knowing and caring for a rapidly changing planet. The event concluded with an engaging Q&A session, during which the audience actively exchanged ideas on how these innovations can support timely climate action in the face of nonlinear dynamics and tipping points that often outpace traditional models and institutions.
| Research Units | Research Institute for Land and Space |
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