AI For Good Lab
«Now is the time for urgent action. Those of us that can do more, should do more. But the challenges we face are complex, and no one company, sector, or country can solve them alone.»
-Brad Smith, Vice Chair & President of Microsoft
The Prompt with Trevor Noah
Join Trevor Noah, Microsoft’s Chief Questions Officer, in a thought-provoking series that delves into the world of Artificial Intelligence (AI) alongside our AI for Good Lab partners. Each episode explores fundamental questions at the heart of AI’s global impact. From shaping public safety, to health and education, the series takes viewers to the forefront of technological advancements, engaging with technologists, engineers, and scientists. These episodes catalyze discussions about the limitless possibilities of AI.
AI for Good: Applications in Sustainability, Humanitarian Action, and Health
In this book by Microsoft’s Chief Data Scientist Juan Lavista Ferres, discover how mission-driven leaders and AI researchers are using technology to transform the world for the better. With foreword from Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President of Microsoft.
Challenges we face
33M people are affected by food insecurity.
70% decline in our planet’s wildlife since 1970
1.3B people or 1 in 6 in the US live with a disability
<50% of people globally have access to essential health services.
Stories about our progress
Making cultural heritage more accessible
Photogrammetry, AI, and digital preservation combine to create a digital twin of St. Peter’s Basilica using thousands of images, enabling people to explore it in detail from anywhere in the world. AI detected cracks and missing mosaic tiles, helping to ensure the preservation of the Basilica as a cultural, spiritual, and historically significant site for years to come.
Protecting the Amazon
Deforestation threatens millions of species in the Amazon rainforest. By analyzing daily satellite images, monitoring animal behavior with hidden cameras, and listening to forest sounds through tiny microphones, AI rapidly detects changes, helping scientists protect biodiversity more effectively. The future of the Amazon is becoming brighter.
Curbing malnutrition with AI
Amref is working with the University of Southern California (USC), the Kenyan Ministry of Health, and Microsoft AI for Good Lab to develop a model that predicts health risks with AI. Each partner institution contributed their expertise to develop a solution that will empower government and humanitarian groups to tackle community health in a new way.
Independence in an app
Seeing AI empowers blind and low-vision individuals to easily navigate their world. Using a smartphone camera, the app reads text, scans barcodes, describes scenes, identifies faces, and more, creating a rich, narrated experience. Seeing AI brings daily life into focus through the power of inclusive design.
Mapping the planet to clean energy
Global renewable energy transition requires accurate data on solar and wind installations. In collaboration with Partnerships: Planet and The Nature Conservancy, the Global Renewables Watch is a living atlas using AI and satellite imagery to map utility-scale solar and wind installations worldwide.
Identifying at-risk communities
Traditional population mapping often overlooks communities amidst unplanned growth and migration. Microsoft’s AI for Good Lab, partnering with Planet and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), employs satellite imagery and AI to produce high-resolution population maps for better climate-event resilience.
Specialties
Featured news
- Microsoft on the issues Advancing biodiversity with AI
- Microsoft worklab podcast Tackling the World’s Toughest Problems with AI
- Microsoft 2024 Microsoft Impact Report
- microsoft stories Microsoft to open its first Middle East 'AI for Good Lab' in Abu Dhabi