Humans have used their intelligence to cultivate plants, tame animals, cut trees, divert rivers, mine stones and minerals, and create machinery. The last two generations have seen the shift from human intelligence to augmented or artificial intelligence: Data can be fed to machines and machines can learn from these data.
Artificial intelligence is already enhancing our daily lives. That is not to say that algorithms – the building blocks of artificial intelligence and machine learning – are not without faults. They can be gamed, sustain past prejudice and create a biased vision of the world. They therefore require careful management and ethical accountability. If this is achieved, however, they can be used for a wide range of purposes.
Partnering with the Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute (GDI) and IBM Research, Swiss Re Institute held the virtually staged “Algorithms for hope” conference at our Centre for Global Dialogue. Bringing together three organisations that are all seeking to use the best forms of artificial intelligence, the event focused on the many positive aspects of artificial intelligence. In five case studies, experienced researchers and entrepreneurs presented applications that can have a positive global impact. The case studies have been summarised in separate articles available on our website.
