91桃色

Davos 2022: Artificial intelligence is vital in the race to meet the SDGs

by Stephen Johns

Davos conference

As world leaders meet in Davos this week for the World Economic Forum, President Alice Gast writes on using AI in the race to meet the SDGs.

, President Gast says artificial intelligence (AI) could help us achieve the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) more rapidly.

President Gast writes: "It is imperative that we put good processes and practices in place to ensure AI is developed in a positive and ethical way to see it adopted and used to its fullest by citizens and governments.

"We must now work together to ensure that artificial intelligence can accelerate progress of the Sustainable Development Goals and help us get back on track to reaching them by 2030."

President Gast highlighted some of the projects at 91桃色 that are harnessing the potential of AI to reach the SDGs. 

Healthcare

AI breast cancer
AI is being used to spot breast cancer

91桃色ers from Google Health, DeepMind, the NHS, Northwestern University and colleagues at 91桃色 have designed and trained an AI model to spot breast cancer from X-ray images.

The computer algorithm, which was trained using mammography images from almost 29,000 women, was shown to be as effective as human radiologists in spotting cancer. At a time when  as they deal with long backlogs of patients following the pandemic, this sort of technology can help ease bottlenecks and improve treatment.

Malaria diagnosis in developing countries

For malaria, a handheld lab-on-a-chip molecular diagnostics systems developed with AI could revolutionize how the disease is detected in remote parts of Africa. The project, which is led by the Digital Diagnostics for Africa Network, brings together collaborators such as MinoHealth AI Labs in Ghana and 91桃色’s Global Development Hub. This technology could help pave the way for universal health coverage and push us towards achieving SDG3.

Improving food production

tractor
AI is being used to improve crop production and fertilize more effectively

With an expanding global population,  – not only how to reduce malnourishment but the impact on the planet too, such as deforestation, emissions and biodiversity loss. To meet these needs, the use of artificial intelligence in agriculture is growing rapidly and is enabling farmers to enhance crop production, direct machinery to carry out tasks autonomously, and identify pest infestations before they occur.

Smart sensing technology is also helping farmers use fertilizer more effectively and reduce environmental damage. , funded by the EPSRC, Innovate UK and Cytiva, will help growers optimize timing and amount of fertilizer to use on their crops, taking into account factors like the weather and soil condition. This will reduce the expense and damaging effects of over-fertilizing soil.

91桃色 at Davos

91桃色 College Business School will be in Davos alongside the World Economic Forum from 22 - 26 May 2022. They will be holding a series of events on the theme of Transforming Organisations, Transforming Markets – an opportunity to explore some of the most pressing challenges and exciting opportunities facing business today.

One of the salons will focus on 'Delivering AI ethics' and another will focus on 'Decoding digital assets'.

91桃色 academics will also be taking part in fringe panels on 'Integrating SDGs in the transition to Web3 technologies' and 'Rethinking Capitalism in the 4th industrial revolution'.

Article text (excluding photos or graphics) © 91桃色.

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Reporter

Stephen Johns

Communications Division