Artificial intelligence at the service of famine prevention

Microsoft, Amazon and Google partnered with international organizations to prevent the risk of famine in the world through artificial intelligence, according to an initiative revealed this Sunday.

To attack the famine before it wreaks havoc, the giants of cutting-edge technologies "will use the power of data" in order to analyze and anticipate dangerous situations and take action, explained the World Bank and the United Nations. it's a statement.

In 2017, more than 20 million people in northeastern Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen suffered from famine or near famine due to a combination of factors: conflict, poverty, climate disasters and food prices.

Some 124 million people are also currently living in a situation of food insecurity and need emergency food aid to survive, said the two organizations.

"The fact that millions of people, including many children, suffer from severe malnutrition and famine in the 21st century is a global tragedy," World Bank President Jim Yong Kim said in the statement. "We are forming an unprecedented global coalition to say" enough is enough, "he added.

The mechanism of action against famine (FAM) will give the first warning signs to identify food crises that could become true famines and launch funding programs for rapid intervention.

"If we can determine when and where the famines will take place, we can save lives by responding more quickly and effectively," said Brad Smith, president of Microsoft.

Google, Microsoft and Amazon Web Services, as well as other technology companies, will offer their knowledge to develop a series of analytical models called "Artemis", which use artificial intelligence and machine learning to make real-time forecasts about the aggravation of the food crises.

"Artificial intelligence and machine learning are very promising to detect food shortages linked to crop failures, droughts, natural disasters and conflicts," explained Smith.