The thought of AI can be scary, but did you know AI is actively being used to improve our world?

Machine learning and AI are, what's called, a dual technology. It can be used for societal benefit and to its detriment. The risks of surveillance via AI and increased discrimination are real. So the choice is yours:

Wouldn't you rather work on one of these awesome projects?

Way #1: Cassava Plant Disease

Cassava is a starchy plant that supplies over half a billion people with food.

It's a wonderous plant as it can survive in extreme conditions; your average potato would perish. However, it can fall victim to disease. High-Schoolers Shaza Mehdi and Nile Ravenell developed a solution!

They used machine learning to identify plant disease using AI in the app PlantMD.

Way #2: Climate Change

How do you track this global phenomenon?

You use machine learning and satellite data to identify the shrinking of the arctic ice shield, identify floods, wildfires, and coastal erosion. Entire workshops and collaborative papers around climate change mitigation have been organised.

What a fantastic way to secure the world for future generations!

Way #3: Self-Driving Cars

Cars are silent killers.

Of course, you, dear reader, are an attentive degressive driver, but many are not. Human attention isn't exactly made for this constant attention. AI in self-driving cars has a mind made for driving instead. Waymo, as an example, was able to completely eliminate two types of crashes: Stationary objects and swerving off-road.

You can help develop and mature this life-saving technology.

This atomic essay was part of the October 2021 #Ship30for30 cohort. A 30-day daily writing challenge by Dickie Bush and Nicolas Cole. Want to join the challenge?