Advances in AI have led to significant progress in designing, training, and running AI at a large scale, with potential benefits across sectors and for positive social change. The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are already being advanced through AI, with applications in poverty elimination, sustainable cities, education, equality, crisis response, and environmental protection. However, progress towards achieving the SDG targets is low, highlighting the urgency to leverage AI for social good. AI’s potential impact on SDGs is highest in areas such as health, education, clean energy, climate action, and sustainable cities. However, funding disparities and challenges of scaling AI initiatives persist, along with risks of biases, misinformation, and privacy concerns. Collaboration among stakeholders is crucial to harness AI’s potential for social good and address global challenges effectively.
| Signal | Change | 10y horizon | Driving force |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advances in AI accelerating, benefiting the SDGs | AI becoming integral to SDG progress | AI widely used to achieve SDGs | Potential positive social impact |
| Funding for AI focused on areas with high potential | Funding aligned with AI’s impact | More funding for high-potential SDGs | Potential impact on society |
| challenges and risks of scaling AI for social good | Scaling AI for social good challenging | Overcoming challenges, addressing risks | Ensuring AI is used responsibly |
| Need for collaboration to deploy AI for social good | Collaboration needed for scaling AI | Increased collaboration for AI deployment | Solving global challenges |