EarthAI

💡 Work events are more impactful when they're community-focused, fun and have tangible outcomes.... ...and with massive challenges facing all of us, human connection matters more than ever! Thanks to Stephen Murphy + his brilliant team for letting me team-up for an EarthAI climate x AI hackathon at the stand-out ClimateImpact Summit this week at the The Royal Institution in London. Here's what went down in 30 hours... 80 hackers arrived 16 teams formed 12 mentors & judges supported 3 ideas won prizes 2 participants got new jobs! >> Lots of new connections, learning and exciting possibilities. My top 5 💡Winner of best potential Climate Impact > Paco: Business don't have a clear idea of how to move away from single use plastic packaging solutions and are unaware of all the alternatives out there. Paco AI enables businesses to search and spec alternative, sustainable packaging solutions to help them move away from plastic. Gabriel Brückner, Elisa Escapa Otani + team 💡 Winner of best use of AI > BuildIn: Climate regulation is ramping up the pressure on asset owners. Using AI to do holistic portfolio analysis that includes all sustainable building measures (biodiversity, water, waste, physical and transition risk factors, solar opportunity etc.) 💡 Mirren Fischer + team 💡Winner of Best Pitch > RetroAction: Only 6% of building materials are effectively reused. Retrofitting is seen as too time consuming, too expensive, and too hard versus demolition and rebuild leading to significant emissions and biodiversity loss. Aiding developers and asset owners to unlock retrofitting through understanding climate policy compliance and material flows. Ethan Edwards + team 💡 Plasticats: Precision mapping of waste dumps around the world for levels of toxicity so communities and orgs can prioritise response. Stéphane Zahrai + team. 💡 Project Ark: AI-powered platform for endangered species, where you could educate yourself about animals who need help using AR and AI and connect with charities via local businesses. Ana Domina + team. ...and lots more! Shout out to my wingman, the coolest operator climate-tech town Matvii Kotolyk. For climate founders and startups looking to make their fundraising journey simpler and cheaper > raaise.co

Congratulations to Dalberg, Acted, and EarthAI for delivering a successful AI x Climate Hackathon last week! 🎉 We were delighted to support the Hackathon and award the team with the Biggest Climate Impact with one year’s free premium membership of NCN! And the winner is... Group Zero! With their integration of local knowledge, traditional practices around forecasting, animal behaviour, and AI for more accurate weather prediction, this holistic approach not only improves the effectiveness of weather predictions but also strengthens resilience against climate impacts, making it a standout solution with significant climate impact potential. With the premium membership of the network, Group Zero will benefit from being part of a community of climate professionals, and we hope to connect them to many other members who can help to advance their mission!  Group Zero will get to share their resources, events, and opportunities with the wider network. We hope to see team lead Valentine Aguko at an upcoming NCN event very soon! Congratulations to all the other AI x Climate winners including: ⚡ Zazu's innovative use of machine learning and computer systems to sort toxic and non-toxic waste across dumpsites. ⚡ Ngao's groundbreaking approach to using AI imagery to provide cost-friendly access to carbon markets for small-scale farmers while distributing profits based on farm acreage. ⚡ Shamba AI’s use of AI and historical data to help farmers safeguard their yield and crop. They will also use HCD to investigate what farmers can afford. 🎉 With thanks to Ben Keene, Anna Martyres, Sharon Njavika, Charlie Habershon, Jasper Okoth, Cynthia Murugi Gicheru, Shalom Magoma, Janet Aika Matemu, Felix Waweru, 3ZERO House Kenya, and all parties involved in making this a success! We can't wait to see what's next for AI x Climate! #AIxClimate #ClimateHackathon #ClimateInnovation #NairobiClimateNetwork #NCN #ClimateSolutions #SustainableTech #ClimateAction 

🧠 AI in Africa 🌍 Africans living their truest intention. We.Got.Us. 🇳🇬🇬🇧 Wuraola Oyewusi makes AI literacy accessible for 41 million native Yorùbá speakers. 🏆👏🏾👏🏾 Wins for the Global Majority. 🇰🇪 AI in classrooms 👩🏾🏫. Google DeepMind, Tech Kidz Africa and Raspberry Pi Foundation are taking AI literacy into schools for 11 - 14 year olds and it's in Kiswahili 👏🏾 🔗https://lnkd.in/e5B7ZbTW Michael Murungi 🇹🇿 Neema K. Lugangira takes seat at the table and brings African voices into AI policy. 🇳🇦 In Central Namibia, Maria Nelago Kanyama combats water scarcity with machine learning. 🇰🇪🇺🇬 AI Devs and climate experts hack solutions for climate change EarthAI 🌪️ Ben Keene 🇰🇪 🧑🏿🌾 Amini uses geospatial data to improve crop yield 🌽 Charlette N'Guessan Kate Kallot 🇬🇭 AI model for brain disease detection Khadija Iddrisu 🇳🇬 Kemisola Bolarinwa prototypes a smart bra for early breast cancer detection #authenticallyafrican #africadesk #ai #aiafrica

How do *you* feel about AI? I've spent about a year now exploring - when time has allowed - the brave new world of artificial intelligence. Why? Curiosity - this is a BIG change in our world and lives. What might it all mean? Concern - Its clear that we will unlikely be the dominant species on earth in the near future! (that feels like a wild sentence to write...prove me wrong). Hope - But with the right moral inputs into the tech (ie. not money and power) AI could help us tackle many of our (other) biggest problems. I've read a few books on AI (Standouts: Life 3.0 by Max Tegmark, 'The Coming Wave' by Mustafa Suleyman with Rebel Book Club and 'Scary Smart' by Mo Gawdat, next up 'Ai Needs You' by Verity Harding).. ... what the books seem to have in common are what Mo Gawdat neatly summarises: 1. AI will happen, there is no stopping it. 2. Machines will become smarter than humans, sooner rather than later (and that has massive implications). 3. Mistakes will happen. Bad things will happen. But potential for good things is huge too. We must prioritise containment and safety. So, what to do? For me its a case of... - keep learning through reading, conversation and using current AI tools - support AI safety ethics through orgs and campaigns - see where we can start using AI responsibly to tackle climate challenges (our other existential threat), faster. This is why Katie McPhee and I are bringing talented technologists and climate experts together to see what's possible through our EarthAI hackathons + support climate innovation at Raaise. On the containment issue, there is a good start being made in the UK, Matt Clifford + Ian Hogarth persuading the Government to host the first 'AI Safety Summit' last November. Would I prefer to switch off all devices and runaway with family and friends to a mountain and beach paradise? Hell yes! But that's not the future we're facing. That would be denial of a new reality. How do you feel currently about AI? Do you care? Are you concerned, excited, confused? What are you doing about it / with it? Would simply prefer to watch the latest AI dystopian film? I'd recommend 'The Creator' https://lnkd.in/dezHW27w note: I did not use the linkedin 'Rewrite with AI' button for this post.