AI for Social Good

Introduction

IN 2022, THE world was horrified by the earthquake that devastated Turkey and Syria. Like many people around the world, my team at Microsoft, the AI for Good Research Lab, wondered how we could help from so far away. Having previously utilized satellite imagery to identify areas of destruction, the Lab sprang into action, providing maps of areas in need to the authorities. When the historic town of Lahaina in Hawaii was engulfed in flames the following year, we supported the American Red Cross with maps with localized estimates of destruction, enabling them to disburse aid in record time to those most in need. Meanwhile, in drought and locust-stricken Kenya, we collaborated with the Nature Conservancy to identify smallholder farms and devise irrigation solutions. In the United States, as disinformation endangered lives and democracy, we developed tools to assess and trace the origins of false information. These initiatives all had in common new computing tools developed within the last few years: artificial intelligence that mimicked the neuronal processes of living brains.

At Microsoft's AI for Good Research Lab, my team dedicates itself daily to tackling humanity's global challenges using artificial intelligence. Despite numerous instances of AI being employed for positive purposes, many remain unaware of this side of the story of AI. Inspired by the work of the Lab, I wrote AI for Social Good for those looking to grasp the basics of AI and its real-world applications ...