Used in many products nowadays, you probably already integrated that Artificial Intelligence (AI) will continue to ease your day-to-day life and improve firms’ performances. From driverless cars to personalize suggestions to prepare your groceries bag, an effortless life-style seems on its way. But what if we zoom-out, can AI benefit all humanity?

This blog post will inform you on AI’s contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The SDGs comprise a set of 17 goals aim to end poverty and hunger, improve health and education, protect the planet and its fauna-flora, and ensure prosperity for all. The countries of the United Nation General Assembly (193) adopted the goals on September 25th 2015 and are called into action to reach each goal’s specific targets by 2030.

In a Global Summit, organized by ITU and XPRIZE held in Geneva in June 2017, government representatives, industries leaders, AI experts and civil society gathered to discuss AI-solutions to address those specific global challenges and concluded that AI is a ‘major accelerator’ to the achievement of those goals.

Consider SDG 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture. Dealing with this issue involves, among other, the need for smarter crop production methods. Drones imagery, sensor data, machine learning and predictive analytics can optimize farm management by providing real-time data about the conditions of the crops and its environment and by empowering farmers with decision support tools. This “precision farming” approach helps optimize crop yields and crop disease treatment. All and all this will result in better food quality and quantity.

Similarly, a “precision medicine” will can doctors to better diagnostic and follow up patients, but also predictive analytics can help prevent diseases in the first place. AI also promises new cost- and time-effective approaches to drug discovery, securing SDG 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.

If you were already aware of AI potential in those previous area, how about AI for SDG 16: Promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies? Not only AI could help preventing global cyber threats but also monitor electoral vote and increases government transparency with the use of open data.

It is thrilling to envision all the positive impact AI can have on a global scale, after all we are all concerned. I believe it each of us’ duty to use our knowledge for good. If you are more curious, I suggest you to watch this 3-minutes video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bpuoj1Op1kY or to consult ITU’s report.

ITU (2017), AI for social good: how artificial intelligence can boost social development, [Online] Available from: http://www.itu.int/en/itunews/Documents/2017/2017-01/2017_ITUNews01-en.pdf
ITU (2017), AI for good global summit, [Online] Available from: http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-T/AI/Pages/201706-default.aspx
Greenbiz (2017), What artificial intelligence means for sustainability, [Online] Available from: https://www.greenbiz.com/article/what-artificial-intelligence-means-sustainability
UN (2017), Artificial Intelligence – a quantum leap for sustainable development. [Online] Available from: http://www.unric.org/en/latest-un-buzz/30586-artificial-intelligence-a-quantum-leap-for-sustainable-development

Is Europe ready for the upcoming digital transformation?

With the advancement in new technologies we know, we project major changes and envision a soon-to-be techy-connected-effortless life style. But the pace at which it will it take place, or whether it will effectively be the case across all Europe, will depend largely on the next initiatives to unleash Europe’s Digital capability.

Not agile enough in adopting and diffusing technological innovations, Europe as a whole currently lags behind main competitors such as the US and Japan. The rest of the world is also rapidly joining in the digital race and with the rise in automation and the regular emergence of new AI uses, Europe is under threat of lagging even further behind.

First, the digital performance is very heterogeneous across Europe. The DESI (Digital Economy and Social Index) asses the digital performance of countries in (1) Connectivity, (2) Human Capital, (3) Use of internet, (4) Integration of Digital technologies and (5) Digital Public Services. The results put forward the large digital gap between the Scandinavian countries, which lead the way, and Greece, Romania and Bulgaria, with the fear of a “two-speed Digital Europe”.

Second, Europeans firms need to be free from a number of burdens.

– Too many Europeans firms relocate their business out-side the EU or are acquired by non-EU competitors. The grounds for such moves are often insufficient funding and the quest of more attractive business environments.

– Social protection systems are not copping with current digital changes. They are tailored to support the traditional industries and do not necessary suit the sharing economy, the expansion of online platforms or freelancers.

– With rising concerns about Cybersecurity, many companies, particularly SMEs, are hesitant to go digital. In addition, high initial investment costs and cross-boarders barriers also explain why so many European firms are still to slow in implementing the basic digital technologies in their why of doing business.

The adoption of a single digital market and single regulatory framework is imperative. The Digital Single Market (DSM) strategy, adopted in 2015, aims to tackle those mentioned issues and secure Europe’s digital future. The completion of a DSM encompasses opportunities for Europe’s citizens, companies and government and is estimated to contribute to €415 billion per year in our economy.

EU (2017), How digital is your country? Europe improves but still needs to close digital gap, [Online] Available from: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-17-347_en.htm [Accessed: 14th October]
EU (2017), Back in the Game, Reclaiming Europe’s Digital Leadership, [Online] Available from: https://ec.europa.eu/epsc/sites/epsc/files/epsc_strategic_note_26_-_back_in_the_game_-_reclaiming_europes_digital_leadership.pdf [Accessed: 14th October]
EU (2017), Shaping the Digital Single Market, [Online] Available from: https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/policies/shaping-digital-single-market [Accessed: 14th October]