- 13 February 2023
- 29 August 2022
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By Erin Kalejs Language matters, it’s primarily how we communicate and connect with others. According to a study done by Stanford University, there are roughly 7,000 languages spoken worldwide. While there is a lot in common among languages, each one is...
- 9 August 2022
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By Erin Kalejs Together, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital innovation have the incredible opportunity to create long-term improvements to lives on a global scale, especially young people who will inevitably acquire these innovations and create new ones. It is therefore...
- 20 June 2022
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By Erin Kalejs From imagining possible digital futures to building and designing solutions for today, the Generation Connect conference is ITU’s largest gathering of youth to spur digital innovation. The goal of the conference is to connect, inspire and empower...
- 27 May 2022
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At the inaugural edition of the “Cannes Neurons Awards“ held at the World Artificial Intelligence Cannes Festival, ITU took part in the celebration of the world’s most innovative AI projects making a positive impact on society and the planet. As...
- 3 May 2022
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ITU is ready to take part in the very first edition of the “Cannes Neurons Awards“, a global spotlight event on the most innovative AI projects making a positive impact on society and the planet. At the World AI Cannes...
- 8 April 2022
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23 February 2022 / ITU / Inclusivity
by ITU News Technology holds the potential to address some of today’s greatest life challenges. But it can’t facilitate effective education or boost the quality of everyday life without clear guiding principles. To ensure benefits extend to everyone, new and...
- 23 February 2022
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In the 1960s, emerging research on the effects of poverty and its impact on education came to light. This research indicated an obligation to help disadvantaged groups, compensating for inequality in social or economic conditions. In January 1964, a former...
- 22 February 2022
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7 July 2021 / Disaster Management, Inclusivity
The impact of disasters stemming from natural hazards could worsen in the years ahead, with more frequent, intense events devastating people’s lives and livelihoods. Artificial intelligence (AI) has been widely touted as a tool for countries to manage and respond...
- 7 July 2021
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Internet use is skyrocketing in rural India, thanks to more affordable smartphones, some of the cheapest mobile data rates in the world, and a steady supply of online videos to consume. Nine of every ten new Internet users are expected to be speakers of...
- 10 March 2021
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19 February 2021 / Health, Inclusivity
Can simple digital tools lead to healthier lives for children, adolescents, and mothers? In Tanzania – where limited resources result in over 800,000 preventable deaths of children under five and 1.2 million unintended pregnancies – two digital health projects aim to...
- 19 February 2021
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10 February 2021 / Health, Inclusivity
Even before the world began to grapple with COVID-19, many turned to artificial intelligence to fast-track solutions for healthcare challenges confronting patients, health workers, institutions, and governments. Yet, as AI-driven applications are being tested and deployed, a call to ensure these endeavours...
- 10 February 2021
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16 December 2020 / Education, Inclusivity
As part of our participation in the ITU Focus Group on Machine Learning for Future Networks including 5G (FG‑ML5G), in March 2019, our WINEST (Wireless Networks and Embedded Systems Technologies) Research Group launched a study on “use cases and solutions...
- 16 December 2020
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4 December 2020 / Digital Financial Services, Inclusivity
In a world where an estimated 1.7 billion people do not have a bank account, can artificial intelligence help make financial inclusion a reality for everyone? This was the topic under discussion at a webinar during the year-round AI for Good Global Summit 2020....
- 4 December 2020
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24 November 2020 / Inclusivity, Innovation & Creativity
Greyparrot, a start-up which uses computer vision for waste management, has been voted the winner of the Innovation Factory Grand Finale held as part of the year-round AI for Good Summit 2020. The Innovation Factory is AI for Good’s platform to showcase...
- 24 November 2020
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*The following Cities Today article has been reposted with the publisher’s kind permission. The original article can be found here. The City of Seoul is deploying humanoid robots to help senior citizens become comfortable with using smartphones, online messaging and...
- 12 November 2020
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10 November 2020 / Inclusivity, Innovation & Creativity
Technology has drastically transformed the world we live in and the way we lead our daily lives throughout history. As recent innovations in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning accelerate the pace of change, they are opening up valuable opportunities...
- 10 November 2020
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- 9 November 2020
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23 October 2020 / Education, Inclusivity
*Technovation is one of the projects working to scale up as part of the Global Initiative on ‘AI and Data Commons’ Technological advances such as artificial intelligence are seismic forces shaping the 21st century. However, the speed, scale, and top-down ways technologies...
- 23 October 2020
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What do we need to build a better and more equal world for everyone on this planet? And how can artificial intelligence (AI) help us get there faster? The AI for Good Global Summit organized annually by ITU and XPRIZE...
- 6 October 2020
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29 September 2020 / Ethics, Inclusivity
At some stage we should expect the machines to take control – at least, that is what Alan Turing predicted for the future of machine learning in 1951. Despite this troubling prognosis, there are reasons to be hopeful about the...
- 29 September 2020
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25 September 2020 / Inclusivity
A real world built and designed using data for men ignores the needs of half its population. This holds true even when artificial intelligence is harnessed to solve challenges facing all of humanity. The default human at the centre of...
- 25 September 2020
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17 September 2020 / Inclusivity, Innovation & Creativity
Transformed in 2020 into all-online showcase of action-oriented AI projects and interactive expert talks, the AI for Good Global Summit will celebrate the culmination of its 2020 activities next week during the much-anticipated ‘Breakthrough Days’ to run from 21 to...
- 17 September 2020
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6 July 2020 / Inclusivity, Innovation & Creativity
ITU News caught up with Chaesub Lee, Director of the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, to learn more about the latest ITU standards projects addressing AI and Machine Learning and the value of the AI for Good Global Summit. Where do...
- 6 July 2020
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24 June 2020 / Inclusivity, Innovation & Creativity
By ITU News Datasets relevant to sustainable development, expertise in AI and humanitarian action, and ‘AI for Good’ projects with ambitions to achieve global impact – these are the three key pillars of the Global Initiative on AI and Data...
- 24 June 2020
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17 May 2020 / Inclusivity, Innovation & Creativity
*Today, ITU marks World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD). This year’s theme, “Connect 2030: ICTs for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)” focuses on the five strategic goals of the Connect 2030 Agenda: growth, inclusiveness, sustainability, innovation and partnership. Here is...
- 17 May 2020
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6 May 2020 / Ethics, Inclusivity
Artificial intelligence (AI) has a bias problem. Actually, AI has many well-documented bias problems. Chief among these, arguably, is gender bias. From the creation of data sets, to the way the data is collected and used, to the building of...
- 6 May 2020
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Datasets relevant to sustainable development, expertise in AI and humanitarian action, and ‘AI for Good’ projects with ambitions to achieve global impact – these are the three key pillars of the Global Initiative on AI and Data Commons. The AI for Good...
- 23 April 2020
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27 February 2020 / Inclusivity, Innovation & Creativity
It is becoming clearer to the world that we can only achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 if the innovative voices of those in Africa, who are most affected by the challenges, are involved. This is...
- 27 February 2020
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12 February 2020 / BioSpectrum India / Inclusivity, Innovation & Creativity
- 12 February 2020
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11 February 2020 / Inclusivity, Innovation & Creativity
Ten years remain to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Leaders in AI and humanitarian action will convene at the 2020 AI for Good Global Summit with strong intent to ensure that ‘AI for Good’ solutions achieve a scale...
- 11 February 2020
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24 October 2019 / Inclusivity, Innovation & Creativity
*The following article is adapted from my remarks this week during the ‘AI Forum’ at the Sixth Wuzhen World Internet Conference in Wuzhen, China. In Game Two of the historic 2016 Go match between Lee Sedol and DeepMind’s AlphaGo, the...
- 24 October 2019
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27 September 2019 / Inclusivity, Innovation & Creativity
*The following is a Foreword to the newly published compendium entitled, “United Nations Activities on Artificial Intelligence.“ Very few topics have captured the imagination of the public and promised to transform humanity more than artificial intelligence. In this publication, more...
- 27 September 2019
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26 September 2019 / Inclusivity, Innovation & Creativity
*The article below is adapted from remarks delivered in New York this week at the “Advancing the global goals with artificial intelligence” event, which was part of the SDG Action Zone, held during the High-level week of the UN General Assembly,...
- 26 September 2019
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17 September 2019 / Inclusivity
According to the latest World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report (2018), only 22 percent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) professionals globally are female compared to 78 percent who are male. This accounts for the general gender gap of 72 percent yet...
- 17 September 2019
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1 August 2019 / Digital Economy, Inclusivity
Artificial intelligence is one of the hottest tickets in the ICT space right now – and the rapid proliferation of machine-learning platforms is bringing with it a raft of new types of jobs aimed at feeding data-devouring AI systems. One...
- 1 August 2019
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7 June 2019 / Inclusivity, Innovation & Creativity
Last week’s 3rd annual AI for Good Global Summit once again showcased the growing number of Artificial Intelligence (AI) projects with promise to advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Now, using the Summit’s momentum, AI innovators and humanitarian leaders are...
- 7 June 2019
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29 May 2019 / Inclusivity, Innovation & Creativity
In the past 20 years or so, extreme poverty has fallen by some 50% globally. But when people are surveyed and asked to guess the decline in poverty rates, only around 1% of people get it right. Why is that?...
- 29 May 2019
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28 May 2019 / Inclusivity, Innovation & Creativity
The 3rd annual AI for Good Global Summit officially kicked off today with a range of inspiring messages, important discussions and examples of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in action. “Very few topics have captured the imagination of the public and promised to transform humanity...
- 28 May 2019
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22 May 2019 / Inclusivity, Innovation & Creativity
*Mr McConaghy is leading the ‘Scaling AI for Good‘ track at next week’s AI for Good Global Summit. Artificial Intelligence (AI) can help meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For example, AI researchers are already using satellite imagery to...
- 22 May 2019
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21 May 2019 / Inclusivity, Innovation & Creativity
Just over three years ago, XPRIZE launched the USD 5 million IBM Watson AI XPRIZE with the mission of accelerating the AI for Good movement. With artificial intelligence (specifically, the subfield of machine learning) evolving so quickly, we felt it was the right time to create...
- 21 May 2019
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20 May 2019 / Inclusivity, Innovation & Creativity
ITU News asked Chaesub Lee, Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Standardization Bureau about the top use cases of AI now — and in the coming years. In mid 2019, where do you think we are in AI’s journey, and how much greater is the...
- 20 May 2019
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16 May 2019 / Inclusivity, Innovation & Creativity
Artificial intelligence (AI) will transform our lives. The question often posed is: will it be for better or for worse? At ITU, we are working hard with partners across the world to ensure the trusted, safe and inclusive development of AI technologies – and equitable...
- 16 May 2019
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9 May 2019 / Culture, Inclusivity
The Association for Computing Machinery presents the ACM A.M. Turing Award annually. Often referred to as the “Nobel Prize of Computing,” the A.M. Turing Award is accompanied by a USD1 million prize funded by Google. This past year, Geoffrey Hinton, Yoshua Bengio...
- 9 May 2019
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24 April 2019 / Ethics, Inclusivity
Online advertising is often viewed as a kind of “necessary evil” to pay for free services such as Google and Facebook; the Faustian bargain at the heart of the “if you’re not paying for the product, you are the product”...
- 24 April 2019
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The potential value from artificial intelligence (AI) is enormous: some $16 trillion by 2030, according to a PwC study. But what are the costs of AI when not done properly — and what are some of the risks? What does it...
- 17 April 2019
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15 April 2019 / Culture, Inclusivity
We are witnessing a pivotal time in human history, as artificial intelligence (AI) is integrated into just about every new or established industry. However, with this promise there is a global lack of understanding. What is AI and why should...
- 15 April 2019
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1 April 2019 / Inclusivity, Smart Cities
Much has been said about the ability of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to greatly enhance productivity. Unlike the industrial revolution where productivity was improved for labor-intensive work, AI extends that power to knowledge-based work, helping humans make better, faster and more...
- 1 April 2019
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29 March 2019 / Inclusivity, Innovation & Creativity
At their core, ‘AI for Social Good’ projects use artificial intelligence (AI) hardware and software technologies to positively impact the well-being of people, animals or the planet – and they span most, if not all, of the United Nations Sustainable Development...
- 29 March 2019
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Some futurists fear Artificial Intelligence (AI), perhaps understandably. After all, AI appears in all kinds of menacing ways in popular culture, from the Terminator movie dynasty to homicidal HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey. Though these movies depict Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) gone awry, it’s...
- 25 March 2019
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19 March 2019 / Inclusivity, Innovation & Creativity
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has taken giant leaps forward in recent years, inspiring growing confidence in AI’s ability to assist in solving some of humanity’s greatest challenges. Leaders in AI and humanitarian action are convening on the neutral platform offered by...
- 19 March 2019
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20 December 2018 / Inclusivity
ITU recently trialed an advanced software tool developed by the University of Southern California’s Signal Analysis and Interpretation Laboratory (SAIL) to track and measure progress towards gender equality targets at the recent ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2018 (PP-18). The “USC Speech Pipeline” tool used machine...
- 20 December 2018
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17 December 2018 / Data, Inclusivity
“With ICTs everywhere, data is being generated everywhere,” says ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao. “We have amassed an enormous wealth of data, creating a resource of enormous productive value.” The second issue of the ITU Journal – themed ‘Data for Good’...
- 17 December 2018
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17 October 2018 / Inclusivity, Innovation & Creativity
Ahead of the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2018 (PP-18) – the top policy-making body of the International Telecommunication Union, taking place from 29 October to 16 November in Dubai – ITU News is highlighting some important and emerging areas of ITU’s work. The following...
- 17 October 2018
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To mark the International Day of Rural Women ITU News looks at the work of a female entrepreneur using innovative technologies in Pakistan to make a difference in the lives of women and girls across the country. An innovative chatbot called Raaji...
- 15 October 2018
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There is incredible potential for Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help the world achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)s. But how successful these efforts will be will depend on how regulators and policymakers address questions of governance. That was one...
- 24 July 2018
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The days when Artificial Intelligence (AI) was a niche technological possibility are long behind us. AI is one of the most powerful technologies on this planet, and it has incredible potential to disrupt and define our businesses, societies and lives,...
- 20 July 2018
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When Joelle Casteix envisioned a project to end child abuse, she did not figure that Artificial Intelligence (AI) would play a role. As a founding member of The Zero Abuse Project, Casteix had been working on legal and regulatory aspects of...
- 1 June 2018
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17 May 2018 / Ethics, Inclusivity
It’s not just about whether or not artificial intelligence (AI) can do good, it’s about the sort of life you want to live and how AI can help accomplish that. That’s one of the key messages from an interview with...
- 17 May 2018
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ITU celebrated the annual World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) Thursday at the ITU headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland with an impressive ‘AI-powered Moonshots’ panel discussion that showcased the experiences of leading women space explorers. The global audience heard insights from astronaut...
- 17 May 2018
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At this week’s AI for Good Global Summit, artificial intelligence (AI) experts, ethicists, academics, technologists, United Nations representatives, and youth gathered to discuss how AI can help support educational initiatives and improve the lives of young people worldwide. They noted that...
- 17 May 2018
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16 May 2018 / Ethics, Inclusivity
If humans are going to build something that’s potentially more intelligent and more powerful than themselves, knowing how to control it is of the utmost importance. These was one key message from remarks made by Stuart Russell, Professor of Computer...
- 16 May 2018
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16 May 2018 / Inclusivity, Innovation & Creativity
Dozens of top artificial intelligence (AI) experts from industry, academia, government and civil society are meeting this week for the AI for Good Global Summit at the ITU headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. Day 1 of the three-day Summit, the United Nations’ top...
- 16 May 2018
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16 May 2018 / Education, Inclusivity
Organizations are increasingly reliant on Machine Learning (ML) models to weigh in on decisions to hire, grant loans, sentence criminals, and release prisoners on parole. While it may seem that limiting the role of humans in such decisions would limit...
- 16 May 2018
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10 May 2018 / Inclusivity, Innovation & Creativity
How will Artificial Intelligence (AI) impact industries and economies? How can governments and companies prepare for the 4th Industrial Revolution? ITU News recently spoke with renowned futurist Stephen Ibaraki to discuss the top trends shaping AI and ITU’s upcoming AI for...
- 10 May 2018
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2 May 2018 / Inclusivity, Innovation & Creativity
In January 2016, the United Nations brought into effect a list of 17 Sustainable Development Goals that, if achieved, would improve life in a way that is sustainable for the coming generations. From alleviating poverty to taking action on climate...
- 2 May 2018
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2 May 2018 / Education, Inclusivity
Which route should I take this morning when I drive my child to school? I check Google Maps and it tells me to avoid the main road due to heavy traffic. It’s good that I checked, because I’m in a...
- 2 May 2018
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1 May 2018 / Inclusivity, Innovation & Creativity
ITU News spoke to Chaesub Lee, Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, to discuss the motivations behind the AI for Good series and how AI will come to influence ITU’s work. The 2017 AI for Good Global Summit was the first...
- 1 May 2018
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30 April 2018 / Inclusivity
For International Girls in ICT Day, and a few weeks ahead of the AI for Good Global Summit, ITU News caught up with Sarah Porter, CEO and Founder of InspiredMinds, World Summit AI, Intelligent Health, and Ada-AI, a non-profit dedicated to ensuring AI benefits all. Sarah is a...
- 30 April 2018
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25 April 2018 / Inclusivity, Innovation & Creativity
ITU has just launched an AI Repository where anyone working in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) can contribute key information about how to leverage AI to help solve humanity’s greatest challenges. This is the only global repository that identifies AI-related projects,...
- 25 April 2018
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23 April 2018 / Inclusivity, Smart Cities
Globally, there are large disparities in access to health, education, etc. and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal No. 10 is aimed at reducing inequalities for the world’s most vulnerable. For example, according to global association of mobile operators (GSMA), although eighty...
- 23 April 2018
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As a Master Inventor at IBM, I’m part of the team responsible for helping the company become the leading recipient of U.S. patents for the last quarter century. While most people think of commercialization, IBM has a strong commitment to...
- 23 March 2018
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22 March 2018 / Inclusivity, Innovation & Creativity
The 4th Industrial Revolution continues to demonstrate what I call exponential “A Triple C”: accelerating Automation; time Compression in new innovations; Convergence in physical and digital existences; ubiquitous Connectivity. Perhaps nowhere is this “A Triple C” dynamic more on display than in the realm of artificial...
- 22 March 2018
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8 February 2018 / Inclusivity, Innovation & Creativity
The 2nd AI for Good Global Summit at ITU Headquarters in Geneva, 15-17 May 2018, will take action to ensure that Artificial Intelligence (AI) accelerates progress towards the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. The summit is organized by ITU with support from the XPRIZE...
- 8 February 2018
- 0 Comment
11 October 2017 / Inclusivity, Innovation & Creativity
Thirteen-year-old software developer and self-described ‘algorithm-ist’ Tanmay Bakshi is at the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-17) in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to promote his message about the promise of artificial intelligence (AI) to improve lives. Currently a Machine Learning & Watson Developer at IBM,...
- 11 October 2017
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