AI for Good: Applications in Sustainability, Humanitarian Action, and Health - Hardcover

by Juan M. Lavista Ferres (Author), William B. Weeks (Author), Brad Smith (Foreword by)

FOREWORD BY BRAD SMITH, VICE CHAIR AND PRESIDENT OF MICROSOFT

Discover how AI leaders and researchers are using AI to transform the world for the better

In AI for Good: Applications in Sustainability, Humanitarian Action, and Health, a team of veteran Microsoft AI researchers delivers an insightful and fascinating discussion of how one of the world's most recognizable software companies is tackling intractable social problems with the power of artificial intelligence (AI). In the book, you'll see real in-the-field examples of researchers using AI with replicable methods and reusable AI code to inspire your own uses.

The authors also provide:

• Easy-to-follow, non-technical explanations of what AI is and how it works
• Examples of the use of AI for scientists working on mitigating climate change, showing how AI can better analyze data without human bias, remedy pattern recognition deficits, and make use of satellite and other data on a scale never seen before so policy makers can make informed decisions
• Real applications of AI in humanitarian action, whether in speeding disaster relief with more accurate data for first responders or in helping address populations that have experienced adversity with examples of how analytics is being used to promote inclusivity
• A deep focus on AI in healthcare where it is improving provider productivity and patient experience, reducing per-capita healthcare costs, and increasing care access, equity, and outcomes
• Discussions of the future of AI in the realm of social benefit organizations and efforts

Beyond the work of the authors, contributors, and researchers highlighted in the book, AI For Good begins with a foreword from Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith. There, Smith details the Microsoft rationale behind the creation of and continued investment in the AI for Good Lab. The vision is one of hope with AI saving lives in disasters, improving health care globally, and Microsoft's mission to make sure AI's benefits are available to all.

An essential guide to impactful social change with artificial intelligence, AI for Good is a must-read resource for technical and non-technical professionals interested in AI's social potential, as well as policymakers, regulators, NGO professionals, and non-profit volunteers.

Front Jacket

People around the world face significant problems that require creative and innovative solutions. New technologies often form the foundation of those solutions, offering fresh capabilities that promise to make short work of stubborn issues. One of these categories of tech, however, is having an even greater impact than most others: artificial intelligence.

In AI for Good: Applications in Sustainability, Humanitarian Action, and Health, a team of veteran data science and artificial intelligence (AI) leaders deliver an intuitive and non-technical exploration of how Microsoft is applying AI and machine learning to seemingly intractable problems around the world and achieving incredible results. In the book, you'll explore the work of Microsoft's philanthropic AI for Good Lab, which tackles global issues using methods that can be replicated and reapplied by other social entrepreneurs, philanthropists, and volunteers.

After discussing the basics of artificial intelligence--including what it is and how it works--the authors explain the real-world problems being mitigated and solved by AI. You'll learn how Microsoft is using AI to solve problems in sustainability, humanitarian action, and health.

Perfect for techincal and non-technical professionals with an interest in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and social benefit organizations, AI for Good will also prove invaluable to policymakers, regulators, non-governmental organization (NGO) professionals, and nonprofit board members and volunteers. It's an engrossing and insightful new take on how some of the world's brightest people are harnessing cutting-edge tech to finally solve age-old problems.

100% of the author royalties from this book are being donated to support humanitarian relief efforts.

Back Jacket

SEE HOW MICROSOFT'S AI FOR GOOD LAB IS TRANSFORMING THE WORLD FOR THE BETTER WITH AI

AI for Good: Applications in Sustainability, Humanitarian Action, and Health is an incisive and fascinating new look at how professionals at the Microsoft AI for Good Lab are tackling age-old, global problems with cutting edge new tech. Authors Juan Lavista Ferres and Bill Weeks discuss some of the existential problems of our era--including illness and disease, climate change, sustainability, emergency preparedness and response, inaccessibility, and disinformation--and show you replicable methods for tackling these issues.

In the book, you'll learn what AI is and how it works before you dive into real-world applications of the technology. You'll also examine where the future is taking us, as the authors discuss the possible and likely applications of artificial intelligence to tomorrow's problems. Finally, the book offers replicable methods that end-users can employ as they address social problems themselves.

A can't-miss roadmap to impactful social change with AI, AI for Good is an indispensable resource for both technical and non-technical professionals, policymakers, regulators, professionals working at non-governmental organizations, and nonprofit directors and volunteers.

Author Biography

JUAN M. LAVISTA FERRES, PHD, MS, is the Microsoft Chief Data Scientist and the Director of the AI for Good Lab at Microsoft.

WILLIAM B. WEEKS, MD, PHD, MBA, is the Director of AI for Health at Microsoft.