Living territory, science on the threshold: Emerging pathways at the edge of Artificial Intelligence
We are living through a critical moment in the evolution of science, sustainability, and, inevitably, in land and territorial management. Artificial intelligence promises unprecedented discoveries in ecological and human systems, yet it also amplifies trends of control, extraction, and disconnection from Nature, while fostering polarization and cultural degradation. But what if we approached science differently—not as an instrument of domination, but as a participatory practice of listening, relationship‑building, and co‑custodianship?
On November 11, 12, and 13, the Land Laboratory organized the course “Living Territory, Science on the Threshold: Emerging Pathways at the Edge of Artificial Intelligence,” a training initiative that invited participants to explore new ways of understanding and practicing science in a time shaped by technological acceleration.
The course, held at the Institute of Agricultural Biodiversity and Rural Development (IBADER), combined theoretical reflection, applied exercises, and participatory dynamics. It encouraged participants to consider how science might move toward more sustainable, relational, and life‑attentive paradigms, at a moment when artificial intelligence is reshaping ecological, human, and territorial systems.
Led by Elsa Coímbra, PhD in Social Sciences and educator in regenerative science, the program brought together a diverse group of twenty participants for three days. The journey began by situating science within its historical trajectory, examining the paradigms that shaped it and the limits it left aside. From this contextual perspective, the course moved toward a more intimate exploration: that of the researcher as an instrument, inviting participants to recognize that doing research also involves engaging one’s own perception, attention, and lived experience.
Finally, the program opened a space for reflection on the impact of artificial intelligence and on how new technological systems are transforming both scientific practice and our relationship with reality—raising questions about possible futures and about the role of a more relational, life‑centered science.