Harnessing the Power of AI for Equity, Justice, and Community Impact
The AI for Social Good and Society (AI4SGS) Initiative is a bold interdisciplinary effort to apply artificial intelligence to some of the world’s most pressing social and public health challenges. Anchored at the Social Intervention Group (SIG), it is led by world-renowned experts University Professor Nabila El-Bassel; Professor Tian Zheng, Chair of the Department of Statistics; and Associate Vice President Maneesha Aggarwal of Columbia University Information Technology, who are joined by AI experts from around Columbia and the rest of the SIG team.
AI4SGS brings together research, education, and community engagement to design transformative, community-centered AI solutions. The leadership team has been actively collaborating on innovative projects such as using AI to reduce opioid overdose deaths. Together, they are building and scaling a transformative platform that harnesses the power of AI in the service of equity, justice, and the public good.
Mission
AI4SGS advances research, education, and training at the intersection of artificial intelligence and social good. This Columbia University-wide initiative committed to harnessing the transformative power of AI to improve lives, reduce inequity, and build just, responsive systems that serve communities and the public good.
Vision
Our vision is a world where AI is used responsibly, ethically, and inclusively to address complex health, environmental, and social issues. Rooted in equity and community engagement, AI4SGS places lived experience and local knowledge at the core of AI innovation ensuring that solutions are not only smart, but just.
News
Groundbreaking University Seminar Brings Together Experts to Explore AI for Social Good and Society
Building on decades of University Seminars drawing in experts across fields to address broad topics, this new seminar will promote ethical, equitable, and justice-driven AI to address societal problems.
Experts and Community Leaders Examine the Promise and Risks of AI Companions in Healthcare
As the first session in a four-part workshop series, the event explored how AI companions could transform personal health and healthcare delivery, while also raising urgent questions about their broader role in advancing social good and society.
Dr. Nabila El-Bassel: Healthcare AI Development Must Embrace Community Participation
In a new column, Dr. El-Bassel emphasizes the importance of community participation and co-development to ensure that AI healthcare solutions meet real needs.
In the Media
Dr. Nabila El-Bassel discusses the importance of employing best practices for AI for social good when AI is used in the classroom. She says: "What does using AI for “social good and society” mean? Who gets access to the power of AI? What voices shape its algorithms? Under what conditions? These central questions guide me and should also guide faculty and students in examining whose knowledge counts in the use of AI-driven solutions and who benefits from its algorithms."
Dr. Nabila El-Bassel outlines the importance of developing artificial intelligence (AI) for use in healthcare, as well as the pitfalls that developers need to be aware of in order to avoid recreating and automating existing system biases. She urges the implementation of client and community co-development, using models that prioritize confidentiality, align with community expectations, and prioritize the needs of the clients who will be using them.
AI4SGS faculty task force member Tian Zheng, Chair of the Department of Statistics, shares what makes her passionate about statistics and her goal of developing novel methods to explore and understand complex data patterns, including with AI. “And as a storyteller, my audience is the scientific community,” Zheng says. “I want to help scientists use new data observed by technology, so we can know more and improve outcomes.”
Connect With Us
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