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| How does Google use artificial intelligence to solve societal problems? |
From research labs and the pages of science fiction, artificial intelligence has become an integral part of our daily lives, from helping us navigate our cities and avoiding traffic to using voice assistance for a wide variety of tasks, and today their ability to solve big problems is on the rise. In recent years, AI and transformative innovations have become increasingly important in addressing specific societal challenges.
Today, AI helps countries and communities facing disease and natural disasters, offering new opportunities to historically disadvantaged groups, and some big tech companies are doing just that, including: Google.
Here are 7 ways Google is using AI to solve societal problems:
1- Flood forecast:
Last year, the United Nations issued a report saying that half the world lacks adequate early warning systems for dangers such as floods and fires. Research also shows that the number of people affected by climate-related crises and the damage they cause is increasing, and in response we need advanced technologies to help people stay safe and governments to respond appropriately to prepare.
So Google launched a flood forecasting program called (FloodHub) that relies on artificial intelligence to predict when and where floods will occur, help people understand dangerous places and get out of them quickly, and give governments and aid organizations plenty of time to act.
Google trained this flood forecasting model using watershed data from several countries in Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia to accurately predict the depth and timing of floods in several new locations where there were insufficient data points.
The software displays forecast information in search engine results and maps, and sends alerts to cell phones to notify people who may be in harm's way. FloodHub also offers detailed immersive maps so people can see exactly what to expect at their location.
2- Immediate detection of forest fire boundaries:
Google uses satellite imagery to create artificial intelligence models that can detect wildfire boundaries in real time and show their locations in search results and on maps.
Over the past year, Google has applied its model to more than 30 fires across the US and Canada, helping to educate residents and firefighters. He has since expanded his model to parts of Mexico and Australia.
3- Prenatal health care:
Maternal mortality rates remain at unacceptably high levels, with 295,000 women dying during and after pregnancy, labor and delivery in 2017. The vast majority (94%) of these deaths occurred in under-resourced settings, and most died from causes that could be treated or prevented with medical care sufficient.
Fetal ultrasound has become an important part of prenatal care because it is used to estimate gestational age (GA). Such accurate estimates are important for providing adequate perinatal and perinatal care and detecting complications such as disorders of fetal development, but devices that provide this capability remain difficult to access in low-risk settings, in part due to a lack of appropriate research. Train healthcare professionals to use it accurately.
So Google is working with Northwestern Medicine to develop an AI model that will enable ultrasound operators with minimal training to accurately identify potential problems and risks. Thus, the position of the fetus and early detection of pregnancy problems can help improve the health of the mother.
4- Controlling the spread of plant pests:
Outbreaks of pests in cotton and food crops are affecting the livelihoods of farmers and the millions of people who depend on their crops for their livelihoods. So Google is working with InstaDeep and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to develop AI models to better detect desert locust outbreaks in Africa so control measures can be implemented.
Google has partnered with India's Wadhwani Institute of Artificial Intelligence to develop an AI-powered app that will help detect and treat pest outbreaks, reduce pesticide spraying by 20% and increase farmers' profitability by 26% for the increase.
Google is also working with agricultural technology companies like Agrology to develop a predictive farming system that leverages artificial intelligence, machine learning models, and Internet of Things devices to provide farmers with timely forecasts and insights on everything from temperature, precipitation, soil thinning, to soil conditions, greenhouse gas emissions, nutrients, and heat. Resulting from fertilization helps to increase crop yield.
5- Helping to adapt to demographic change:
Google has launched the Open Buildings Project, a large open dataset project that uses artificial intelligence to interpret satellite images of buildings to locate and design buildings. This information is used in many important applications such as population estimation, urban planning, and human responses to environmental and climate sciences.
The project is present in Africa, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Laos, Nepal, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam and enables governments and aid organizations to better understand the needs of populations in everyday life and in crisis situations.
6- Detection of causative genetic changes:
Genome sequencing provides a more complete description of cells and organisms, allowing scientists to screen for serious genetic diseases such as those at risk of breast cancer or pulmonary hypertension. Although genetic research has the potential to save lives and improve people's quality of life, it is a very difficult task.
Therefore, Google is working with biotechnology company (PacBio) to develop genetic technology, and researchers at (PacBio) are using Google's deep learning technology (DeepConsensus) to quickly and accurately identify genetic variants that cause disease.
7- Helping people with communication difficulties:
Google offers an application called (Project Relate) that relies on research in artificial intelligence to help people with speech disabilities communicate more easily with others. It can convert speech into text, repeat what is said in synthesized speech, or use the speakerphone to communicate directly with the Google Assistant to perform a range of tasks from turning on devices to turning off the lights.