Author: <\/p>\n
Over recent years, we have seen remarkable progress in AI\u2019s ability to confront new problems and help solve old ones. Advancing these efforts was one reason we set up the Google Research India lab<\/a> in 2019, with a particular emphasis on AI research that could make a positive social impact. It\u2019s also why we’ve supported nonprofit organizations through the Google AI Impact Challenge<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Working in partnership with Google.org<\/a> and Google\u2019s University Relations<\/a> program, our goal is to help academics and nonprofits develop AI techniques that can improve people\u2019s lives \u2014 especially in underserved communities that haven\u2019t yet benefited from advances in AI. We reported on the impact<\/a> of six such projects in 2020. And today, we\u2019re sharing 30 new projects that will receive funding and support as part of our AI for Social Good program<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n During the application process, Googlers arranged workshops involving more than 150 teams to discuss potential projects. Following the workshop meetings, project teams made up of NGOs and academics submitted proposals which Google experts reviewed. The result is a promising range of projects spanning seventeen countries across Asia-Pacific and Sub-Saharan Africa \u2014 including India, Uganda, Nigeria, Japan and Australia\u2014 focused on agriculture, conservation and public health.\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In agriculture, this includes research to help farmer collectives with market intelligence and use data to improve crop and irrigation planning for smallholder farmers. In public health, we are backing projects that will enable targeted public health interventions, and will help community health workers to forecast health risks in countries such as Kenya, India and Uganda. We\u2019re also supporting research to better forecast the need for critical resources like vaccines and care, including in Nigeria. And in conservation, we’re supporting research to help understand animal population changes, such as the effect of poaching on elephants, and gorillas . Other projects will help reduce conservation conflict and poaching, including human-elephant conflict in Kenya.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Each project team will receive funding, technical contributions from Google and access to computational resources. Academics in this program will be recognized as \u201cImpact Scholars\u201d for their contributions towards advancing research for social good.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We\u2019ve seen the impact these kinds of projects can make. One of the nonprofit leaders supported by the program last year, ARMANN<\/a> founder Dr. Aparna Hedge, has received AI research support from IIT Madras and Google Research to improve maternal and child health outcomes in India. The team is building a predictive model to prevent expectant mothers dropping out of supportive telehealth outreach programs. Results so far show AI could enable ARMANN to increase the number of women engaged through the program by 50%, and they have received a second Google.org grant<\/a> to enable them to build on this progress. Dr. Hedge says the program is \u201calready showing encouraging results \u2014 and I am confident that this partnership will bring immense benefits in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n Congratulations to all the recipients<\/a> of this round\u2019s support. We\u2019re looking forward to continuing to nurture the AI for Social Good community, bringing together experts from diverse backgrounds with the common goal of advancing AI to improve lives around the world.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Go to Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"