Addressing Openwashing for AI in the Geosciences: AI Ethics Task Group of the Geoethics Commission of the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS)

The International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) Geoethics Commission is working on new guidance to address vague and misleading uses of “open” terminology in geoscience AI research. This is especially relevant as big data and large language model technology applications and deep learning become increasingly mainstream in the geosciences.

This follows on from the recommendations for ethical AI in the geosciences published in September 2025. This is now endorsed by 12 organisations internationally, representing over 300,000 geoscientists world-wide.