How AI Is Solving Some of the World’s Most Pressing Challenges
April 23, 2020
The ability of artificial intelligence (AI) to process and analyze large amounts of data has made it a key technology for companies and cities working to improve lives across the globe.
As AI continues to advance, new solutions are being developed and deployed to increase productivity and safety, shining a light on how the technology can be used for social good.
Crisis Response Unit
AI-enabled satellite mapping can make educated predictions about the progression or likelihood of both natural and human-made disasters, allowing responders to dispatch preventive maintenance or care to control negative effects of such crises.
Other use cases, such as drones equipped with AI image and object detection and classification, can be deployed during search and rescue missions.
Smarter Farming, Better Harvest
As world population continues to increase, food production will need to as well. AI can help with that, identifying weeds, applying herbicides precisely, detecting diseases in crops and more.
CES exhibitor John Deere is one agricultural tech company highlighting the prowess of AI. John Deere’s vision includes the concept of an autonomous farm, with AI overseeing daily operational decisions.
Combatting Natural Resource Depletion
Drone deployments with AI-powered image classification and object detection can capture thermal infrared images, allowing officials to catch wildlife poachers and illegal loggers. AI route optimization also helps define more effective patrol routes and areas for these scenarios.
With these tools, communities are better able to monitor and assess large expanses of land without needing more personnel, and vulnerable environments and wildlife are given better opportunities to thrive.
Autonomous Crime Fighters
Using AI to address cybercrime has quickly become more than just a movie plot. AI has now been deployed to pinpoint online sales of counterfeit goods and even detect suspicious posts or messages on online platforms.
Facial and emotion-detection solutions can be extended to identify missing persons and those who may be victims of kidnapping or other crimes.
Making the World Inclusive
Emotion AI, often referred to as facial coding or emotion detection, helps identify and communicate many of the non-verbal cues that are given during conversations, such as facial expressions, gesture, body language and tone of voice.
The solution has been used to help individuals along the autism spectrum recognize ranges of emotion and interact in more nuanced social environments.
As the tech industry harnesses the power of AI, it has the potential to further tackle poverty, educational challenges, digital health and more.
