Google Seeks To Grant $25 Million To AI For 'Good' Projects (reuters.com) 27
Alphabet's Google announced on Monday that it would grant about $25 million globally next year to humanitarian and environmental projects seeking to use artificial intelligence (AI) to speed up and grow their efforts. The company said its efforts were not a reaction to the recent tech pushback. From a report: The "AI Impact Challenge" is meant to inspire organizations to ask Google for help in machine learning, a form of AI in which computers analyze large datasets to make predictions or detect patterns and anomalies. Google's rivals Microsoft and Amazon tout "AI for good" initiatives too. Focusing on humanitarian projects could aid Google in recruiting and soothe critics by demonstrating that its interests in machine learning extend beyond its core business and other lucrative areas, such as military work.
AI is Cliche (Score:2)
AI will become even more cliche than it is now.
Anything that makes a decision without you will be called AI.
"Our AI powered Ice Maker will make ice when it's low! All without your intervention!!!"
Stop calling it AI and just call it what it is, statistics and a huge decision tree.
Re: (Score:2)
this is early stages of big tech corp version of newspeak; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
while "ai" doesn't mean artificial intelligence, doing "good" means doing something that is in line with the elitist pseudo leftist ideology dominating in places like google.
this is also virtue signaling by definition.
Meanwhile, Satan is looking to fund "good" project (Score:1)
Meanwhile, Satan is looking to fund "good" projects...
Re: (Score:1)
He can't do any worse than Washington DC.
Re: (Score:2)
Meanwhile, Satan is looking to fund "good" projects..
AI is simply another tool.
It all depends on how it's used.
AI is no different than a firearm. It can be used to both protect & save innocent lives and tragically end innocent lives. It can be used to liberate or enslave. AI created for a so-called "good" project can be used for bad. There is no "good" or "bad" AI, there's no "good" or "bad" guns, there are just guns and AI.
It all depends on what the intentions of those who wield them happen to be.
Strat
Wall-E! (Score:2)
I want one in a little robot that goes out into the wild, identifies every plant it sees and if it's a non-native species it pulls it out or otherwise kills it.
And another robot that finds beehives and if it's populated by Africanized honeybees, it turns on a noisy propellor and lets them shred themselves on it.
Maybe some more robots that roam the local garbage dump and separates everything like Wall-E.
Also a bunch of little battlefield robots that, after an explosion, they rush out to collect and identify
It's called positive progress (Score:2)
These "good" projects are examples of what's known as "positive progress". All ventures are progress but positive progress is defined by having both a positive short-term and long-term impact for humanity. Negative progress fails to satisfy one or both of these and is far easier to make happen due to shortsightedness or a lack of empathy.
Spend $25M making humans smarter (Score:2)
Or just spend $25M solving the homelessness problem around your headquarters, Google.
Re: (Score:2)
an easy project to get somadat $ (Score:2)
But first - "Google Seeks To Grant $25 Million ..." (?) 'Seeks to' makes it sound as though they are expecting it to be difficult. Look, if it turns out to be difficult, I'll be glad to help by accepting a few million.
Now here's a way that you or I could actually earn somadat. Crowd sourcing! No, not that kind. Here's the problem: Whenever there is a crowd, a crowd of demonstrators, a crowd of sports fans or people at an inaugural event, etc. The media always give an estimate of the number of people in the
A few ideas... (Score:4, Interesting)
$25,000,000 is a drop in the bucket, but there are some things which can do a lot of good:
1: Research into thermal depolymerization. Yes, this is energy intensive, but it actually gets plastic out of the environment completely.
2: Better nuclear reactors. Combine with #1, and now you have ships that remove the pollution layer, and can bring usable, short-chain mineral oil to port to be converted into diesel or other uses.
3: A guild for sysadmins and IT people. The "U" word is fraught. However, a guild where people get licenses, similar to plumbers, HVAC workers, and electricians. An electrician doesn't have Square-D certify them, for example. This way, someone with an apprentice/journeyman/master record actually has some real world certification behind them.
4: I hate waxing political, but why not take the money for "The Wall" and turn it into a solar panel array spanning the US/Mexican border? Then sell the power to those on both sides of the line? This would make everyone happy... be it people who want a barrier, and people who want cheap, clean energy. All benefit. This would be similar to the Itipu Dam where both Brazil and Paraguay get power from, and well worth the investment.
5: Toss some money for local culture and decent indie films.
6: With all the fear and uncertainity about RedHat, perhaps Google should consider being the flagbearer, and make an enterprise-tier Linux distribution that is well maintained and supported?
Communist China? (Score:2)
Efficient AI (Score:2)
How about AI that doesn't require GPUs to train and run? These are terrible for the environment.