I’m currently wondering which opportunities/companies are out there for doing truly humanitarian work as an AI expert.
I don’t believe in the kool-aid that “connecting people” on some (current) platforms is helping humanity, as well as serving ads or by having a speaker talk to you asking whether you would like to know more about todays Pokémon.
I’m thinking more about things like WHO, UNHCR, UNICEF, etc.
I checked the homepages but didn’t find anything about them
Searching for people with AI background or investment in this area.
Any ideas where to start?
I don't know.<p>But - I'd like to encourage you for asking. That's a really good question. If more tech-minded folk asked questions like this, we'd be doing a whole lot better as a species.<p>My personal hot-take is that understanding how people get manipulated and coerced into acting against their own interests is essential to our survival. Think big tobacco tactics, big oil climate denial, manufacture of consent, kayfabe politics.<p>I don't know how - or even if - AI can help us create systems that offer protection against such manipulation. My hunch is that it's worth thinking about.<p>Some examples: Maybe AI can analyze vast amounts of data to manage pollution - soil, air, water, etc - in such a way that manipulation of the results is impossible. However, the institutions which manage this stuff seem quite thoroughly broken (Superfund sites, for example, or Deepwater Horizon, or pesticide buildup).<p>Maybe AI can analyze currency transactions to identify bribes, sinks in the money system where value flows out. However, we've seen many examples of this stuff coming out into the open without major consequence (Paradise, Panama, bank bailouts, CDS, etc etc).<p>Maybe AI could help identify those most susceptible to manipulation in order to <i>help & protect them</i>, rather than to sway their vote, turn them into 'useful idiots', and sell them stuff. That would be "bad" for the economy (and fantastic for society).<p>Maybe AI could help overhaul education - I think this is both essential, and terrifying. I won't ramble on though.<p>Best of luck man.
If I were in your position I'd investigate agricultural
applications. There are some companies involved in vertical farming
and precision farming, whose crucial enablers are image recognition
and autonomous drone technology. The benefits are drastic reductions
in the need for water, land, and pesticides. If you can't get any
companies to hire you then you can always volunteer to assist a
university research group in that area provided you can convince the
PI that you'll need negligible supervision.
Probably universities are your best bet? Usually, the novel ideas get developed there and only later are deployed by various government (or multi-government) agencies. The deployment state requires less of expertise than the R&D part, so you may not be needed there.
AI is not a threat to humanity. Humanity's greed is a threat to humanity.<p>You want to help humanity? Find a way to kill off advertising. It's the cancer that's not just funding the current downsides of technology, but <i>reshaping</i> the technology industry to serve it even more.