AI in Action | July 2024

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to help us solve the greatest challenges of our time, from health care, agriculture, and education to transportation, energy, and national security.

When guided by ethics, transparency, and fairness, responsible AI can spark creativity and help usher in a more prosperous and sustainable future.

See how AI is improving our lives, growing our economy, and keeping us safe.

AI in Action

Researchers at MIT are using AI to accelerate the development of more energy-efficient materials

An estimated 70 percent of energy generated worldwide ends up as waste heat.  A team of researchers from MIT created an AI-driven framework that can accurately predict the thermal properties of materials a million times faster than non-AI-based approaches.  The new method could accelerate the development of new materials capable of drastically reducing heat waste and help engineers design energy generation systems that produce more power, more efficiently.  It could also be used to develop faster and more efficient microelectronics, since managing heat remains a significant developmental limit.  This is just one example of how AI is advancing material discovery and development, which has historically been a lengthy, labor-intensive process reliant on trial and error.
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Salesforce hosts Climate & AI Summit

At its recent Climate & AI Summit, Salesforce brought together researchers, technology leaders, and funders to discuss solutions for building and scaling sustainable AI models and ways to leverage AI for climate action.  The summit emphasized the importance of reducing AI energy consumption and optimizing AI for sustainability, including the use of right-sized models, efficient hardware, and low-carbon data centers.  The event also highlighted the power of AI to address climate change and the need for continued investment and support from business leaders, venture funders, and philanthropists to accelerate the development and scale of AI-powered climate solutions.
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AWS is accelerating AI-driven research for pediatric health care and rare diseases

During its recent summit in Washington D.C., Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced it is committing $10 million to empower nonprofit institutions to harness the power of AI and cloud computing to advance pediatric and children’s causes worldwide.  The funding will help provide access to vital research for vulnerable patient populations that often suffer from restricted resources and limited sample sizes. The initiative will support a growing consortium of hospitals and other institutions using cloud computing and AI to accelerate research and discoveries.  By more effectively managing data in the cloud and leveraging AI to power data-driven insights, researchers will be able to better understand the genetic makeup of diseases, which leads to quicker, more accurate diagnoses and more effective personalized treatments for patients.
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Opinion: It’s not just hype.  AI could revolutionize diagnosis in medicine

The Los Angeles Times

An AI education is becoming easier to get

Politico

 AI is helping disabled people in surprising new ways

CNN

In Constant Battle With Insurers, Doctors Reach for a Cudgel: AI

The New York Times

AI Spotlight

AI for America Debuts New Video Series

AI for America recently debuted a new video series to provide viewers with a closer look at how AI is transforming specific business sectors and aspects of everyday life for the better.  The first video in the series, which was released on July 16, features Ashok Srivastava, Intuit’s Chief Data Officer, discussing how small business owners are using AI to help level the playing field, accelerate growth, and focus more on the core aspects of their businesses that matter most to them.

About AI for America

AI for America is an initiative to educate the public about how AI is being used to improve lives, grow our economy, and keep us safe.  The initiative combines coalition building, advocacy, social media, and traditional media to demonstrate the immense economic and societal benefits of AI.  AI for America is funded by TechNet, the national, bipartisan network of innovation economy CEOs and senior executives.  TechNet advances public policies at the federal and state level that make the United States the world leader in innovation.  Its diverse membership includes dynamic American businesses ranging from startups to the most iconic companies on the planet.  For more information, go to technet.org and AI4America.com.