Google AI Impact Challenge has $25m for good ideas

By Chris Burns/Oct. 29, 2018 1:39 pm EST

Groups with Artificial Intelligence-centric ideas for the greater good of humanity might want to check out Google's newest initiative. Google unveiled their "Google AI Impact Challenge" this week at an event called "Google AI for Social Good." At this event, the Google AI Impact Challenge was revealed with an up-to $25 million dollar award for grantees that'll allow these creators to "help transform the best ideas into action."

"Through research, engineering, and initiatives to build the AI ecosystem, we're working to use AI to address societal challenges," said a Google AI for Social Good representative. Google outlines their AI work with a pair of pillars. These two pillars show what Google's AI for Social Good is "centered on" and shows a clear path for the future.

• Applying core Google research and engineering efforts to projects with positive societal impact, including partnering with experts AND

• Empowering the ecosystem with tools and resources through initiatives like the Google AI Impact Challenge.

The Google AI Impact Challenge was given a set of criteria on which each project will be judged. These criteria include: Impact, Feasibility, Use of AI, Scalability, and Responsibility

Google made sure to point toward their Responsible AI Practices page this afternoon in an effort to make CERTAIN it was clear they did not want AI to be used to make giant killer robots. This page directs users to use a human-centered design approach and to identify multiple metrics to assess training and monitoring of projects.

Google has an expert panel of judges lined up to decide on recipients for this challenge. Included in the mix is Jacquelline Fuller, VP, Google and President, Google.org; Tim O'Reilly, Founder and CEO of O'Reilly Media; Moustapha Cisse, Research Scientist and Lead of Google AI Center, Accra; and Geena Davis, Academy Award Winning Actor and Founder and Chair of Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, plus a bunch more.

Teams that wish to apply to the challenge can download the application guide in PDF form over at AI.Google. There they'll find the application path as well. Applications will be accepted until 11:59:59pm PST January 22, 2019. Grant recipients will be announced in the Spring of 2019.