SDS 519: A.I. for Good — with James Hodson

Mission & Goals

James Hodson, CEO and founder of AI for Good, outlines the organization's mission to leverage advanced technologies, particularly AI, to address the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He emphasizes the importance of collaborating with industry, academia, and policy communities to tackle global challenges. The foundation was established in 2015, inspired by the KDD for Social Good conference, to focus on solving problems that align with the SDGs rather than creating new challenges.

The Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs, as they're known, were really introduced as an update to the Millennium goals.

--- James Hodson

James highlights the need for a unified framework to address these goals, which have been agreed upon by 196 nations, despite ongoing global conflicts 1 2.

   

AI & SDGs

AI for Good applies AI to tackle real-world problems by focusing on three pillars: education, policy, and research. James explains that their work involves creating resilient education systems, supporting AI research, and developing policies that integrate AI into sustainable development. The organization collaborates with governments and international bodies like the UN to implement AI strategies and measure their impact on the SDGs.

We work with governments to create national AI strategies.

--- James Hodson

By addressing issues like climate action and gender equality, AI for Good aims to provide researchers with the tools and datasets needed to make meaningful contributions to these areas 3 4.