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A definition, benchmark and database of AI for social good initiatives

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Abstract

Initiatives relying on artificial intelligence (AI) to deliver socially beneficial outcomes—AI for social good (AI4SG)—are on the rise. However, existing attempts to understand and foster AI4SG initiatives have so far been limited by the lack of normative analyses and a shortage of empirical evidence. In this Perspective, we address these limitations by providing a definition of AI4SG and by advocating the use of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a benchmark for tracing the scope and spread of AI4SG. We introduce a database of AI4SG projects gathered using this benchmark, and discuss several key insights, including the extent to which different SDGs are being addressed. This analysis makes possible the identification of pressing problems that, if left unaddressed, risk hampering the effectiveness of AI4SG initiatives.

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Fig. 1: Projects addressing the SDGs.
Fig. 2: Projects addressing different aspects of climate action.

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Acknowledgements

J.C. acknowledges the receipt of a Doctoral Studentship from the Alan Turing Institute. M.T. and L.F. acknowledge the Oxford Initiative on AI for SDG, which is supported by grants from Facebook, Google and Microsoft.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Josh Cowls, Andreas Tsamados, Mariarosaria Taddeo & Luciano Floridi

  2. The Alan Turing Institute, London, UK

    Josh Cowls, Mariarosaria Taddeo & Luciano Floridi

Authors
  1. Josh Cowls
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  2. Andreas Tsamados
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  3. Mariarosaria Taddeo
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  4. Luciano Floridi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Luciano Floridi.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Cowls, J., Tsamados, A., Taddeo, M. et al. A definition, benchmark and database of AI for social good initiatives. Nat Mach Intell 3, 111–115 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42256-021-00296-0

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