Monash University researchers join other artificial intelligence (AI) innovators, robotics experts and humanitarian leaders in Geneva, Switzerland, 6-7 July, for a global summit advancing AI to drive sustainable development.
The two-day AI for Good Global Summit organised by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), together with 40 partner UN agencies, will demonstrate how new technologies can support the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in areas such as combatting the climate crisis and bolstering humanitarian response.
Leading the contingent, Monash Data Futures Institute (MDFI) Director Professor Joanna Batstone said the University's experts will be helping to highlight AI's role in advancing health, climate, gender, inclusive prosperity, sustainable infrastructure, and other global development priorities.
"As the only Australian organisation and the only university presence at the summit we are keen to be an active part of the conversation to leverage AI research for global good," Professor Batstone said.
"Generative AI is changing the way we live and it's important for us to acknowledge and adjust accordingly but there is an enormous amount of study being undertaken to use AI for the benefit of humanity.
"Our ongoing research is employing data science in a myriad of ways including AI being used to estimate the global bushfire smoke and its health burden, understanding the impact of robots in public spaces, analysing big data to manage and provide solutions for ecosystem conservation.
"When understood and applied conscientiously, data science and AI has the potential to improve each and every aspect of the human experience," Professor Batstone added.
The contingent of leading multidisciplinary researchers includes MDFI Research Director Associate Professor Andrea Collevecchio, Professor of AI, Technology and the Law at the Faculty of Law Chris Marsden, design research expert Associate Professor Shanti Sumartojo, and human-centred computing expert Professor Jesper Kjeldskov from the Faculty of Information Technology.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Rebekah Brown welcomed opportunity for Monash experts to contribute to the global conversation on AI for Good
"We are continuously committed to working with policymakers, institutions and industry collaborators in Australia and across the globe in alignment with the UN's sustainable development goals," Professor Brown said.
"At Monash, research to encourage thriving communities, support geopolitical security and address climate change is ingrained in our ethos, and we are currently witnessing an age where AI is becoming intrinsically linked to each of these areas."
