Microsoft expands 'AI for Earth' program with an additional US$50 million

Microsoft is using the climate change meeting of government, civic, and business leaders in Paris on the two-year anniversary of the Paris Climate Accord to announce an extension to their ‘AI for Earth’ program. The program will now get an additional US$50 million in funding over the next five years.

“At Microsoft, we believe artificial intelligence is a game changer. Our approach as a company is focused on democratizing AI so its features and capabilities can be put to use by individuals and organizations around the world to improve real-world outcomes.” Said Brad Smith, President and Chief Legal Officer. “There are few societal areas where AI can be more impactful than in helping address the urgent work needed to monitor, model and manage the earth’s natural systems.”

There are some interesting examples of companies using Microsoft’s Cloud and AI in the blog post, including: A Norwegian energy company (Agder Energi) that uses it to predict demand and optimize the existing network. In Singapore, JTC uses the cloud to analyze and optimize their buildings' heating and cooling, which has resulted in a reduction of cost. Or finally the Australian agricultural-technology company, The Yield, where sensors and analytics tie into Microsoft’s Cloud and AI to provide individual field-level data to farmers, who can then modify their irrigation inputs to reduce water usage.

Though training, AI can provide a great deal of speed in assessing and classifying data in a way that humans can understand, or present it ready for analysis. The AI for Earth program will provide software and funding to kick-start ventures that help to develop beneficial uses for AI focused on aspects such as reducing waste and lowering human impact on the environment. More detail on Microsoft’s plans can be found in the source link below.