On September 12, Google released a report titled “Accelerating social good with artificial intelligence.” The report sheds light on the range of organizations using AI to address big problems and identifies several trends around the opportunities and challenges related to using AI for social good. 

The report was based on the analysis of more than 2,600 applications — from 119 countries — to the $25 million Google AI Impact Challenge, which began on October 2018 and provides valuable insights to social impact startups, nonprofits, government policymakers, and academics, on how to AI technologies can be used to solve some of humanity’s biggest challenges.

Some of the key insights from the report include: 

• Machine learning is not always the right answer.
• Data accessibility challenges vary by sector.
• Demand for technical talent has expanded from specialized AI expertise to data and engineering expertise.
• Transforming AI insights into real-world social impact requires planning.
• Most projects require partnerships to access both technical ability and sector expertise.
• Many organizations are working on similar projects and could benefit from shared resources.
• Organizations want to prioritize responsibility but don’t know-how.

According to Google, by sharing this report they hope to inspire action and provoke conversation with illustrative examples.