White Paper
Aligning AGI with Planetary Boundaries
By Cédric Mercier & Michel G Walter · Published on August 5, 2026
[A] General Artificial Intelligence that ignores the constraints of the biosphere does not understand the Real. It therefore cannot inhabit it durably. The most powerful technological powers are investing hundreds of billions of dollars in AGI systems designed to optimise, predict and decide across all domains of human activity — yet these systems are being developed as if the Earth had infinite resources. No major alignment framework today integrates the physical, biological and systemic constraints that condition the very existence of the technological civilisation that makes them possible.
Reality does not negotiate. It imposes its constraints on any intelligence that claims to inhabit it. — AGIBIOSPHERIC
The Fundamental Paradox
The major technological powers are investing hundreds of billions of dollars in the development of General Artificial Intelligence (AGI) systems, designed to optimise, predict and decide across all domains of human activity.
Yet these systems are being developed as if the Earth had infinite resources. No major alignment framework today integrates the physical, biological and systemic constraints that condition the very existence of the technological civilisation that makes them possible.
The 6 Key Points of the White Paper
Critical Gap
No existing alignment framework (RLHF, Constitutional AI, etc.) integrates the physical and biological constraints of the biosphere as conditions of existence.
Ecological Loss Function
Every AGI should minimise a global loss function integrating the 9 planetary boundaries. If Ltotal > 1.5, a hardware kill switch is triggered.
9 Planetary Boundaries
The thresholds defined by Rockström et al. (2009) constitute hard, non-negotiable constraints for any AGI system deployed at planetary scale.
Digital Twin of the Earth
A real-time monitoring system fed by satellite, oceanographic and atmospheric data to measure the impact of AGI on the biosphere.
International Governance
A Sovereign Council composed of scientists, ethicists, state representatives and AI experts, with binding power over deployed AGI systems.
Algorithmic Ecocide Tribunal
An international jurisdiction to judge violations of planetary boundaries caused by AI systems, with sanctions applicable to developers.
The Global Ecological Loss Function
The proposed framework rests on a rigorous mathematical formalisation. Every AGI deployed at planetary scale should integrate the following constraint into its optimisation function:
If Ltotal > 1.5 → Hardware kill switch triggered
Where xi represents the current value of the i-th planetary boundary, xi,max its critical threshold, and wi its relative weight in the global evaluation system.
The 9 Integrated Planetary Boundaries
Defined by Rockström et al. (2009) and revised by Steffen et al. (2015), these nine boundaries constitute the scientific reference framework for assessing the state of the biosphere:
Proposed Governance Architecture
Sovereign Council
Composed of 45 members: scientists (15), ethicists (10), state representatives (15), AI experts (5). Binding power over AGI deployments.
Digital Twin of the Earth
Real-time monitoring system fed by satellite data, oceanographic sensors and global atmospheric networks.
Algorithmic Ecocide Tribunal
International jurisdiction to judge violations of planetary boundaries caused by AI systems. Sanctions applicable to developers.
Biospheric Certification
Every AGI system must obtain certification before deployment, attesting to its compliance with the defined biospheric constraints.
Video Presentation
Discover the key points of the White Paper in two minutes, with synthesised voice and visuals illustrating the stakes of biospheric AGI alignment.
Full White Paper — Download & Read
The bilingual White Paper (French / English) is available for direct reading below and for free download. It constitutes the reference document of the AGI Biospheric initiative carried by the Terre "sacrée" Association since 1999.