The Social Intervention Group (SIG) at Columbia School of Social Work announces its launch of the Artificial Intelligence for Social Good (AISG) Initiative. The AISG Initiative is a timely effort to advance research, education, and training at the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and social impact. This cross-disciplinary initiative brings together leading scholars and a community committed to applying AI to some of society’s most pressing challenges. The initiative is led by University Professor Nabila El-Bassel; Professor Tian Zheng, Chair of the Department of Statistics at Columbia; and a dedicated team from SIG. They are joined by Dr. Maneesha Agrawal, Associate Vice President of Columbia University Information Technology, along with distinguished faculty from across Columbia’s campuses.
AISG will be coordinated by Senior Project Director James David, who also served in that role for SIG’s recent HEALing Communities Study.
This leadership team has been actively collaborating on innovative projects such as using AI to reduce opioid overdose deaths and other research areas. 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.
Justice, Innovation, and Community-Driven AI
AISG is a bold, future-facing initiative aimed at transforming how we confront some of the world’s most pressing social and public health challenges. Rooted in a commitment to community engagement, this interdisciplinary initiative harnesses the transformative potential use of AI to address urgent and complex social, health, and environmental issues.
AISG mobilizes the power of artificial intelligence to catalyze lasting impact across academic, public, and community settings and fosters the responsible and ethical development and deployment of AI tools that generate measurable, real-world impact.
By bridging the gap between academic research and real-world systems, AISG’s aim is to accelerate the translation of community-engaged, AI-powered research into policy and practice. ASIG centers community knowledge, lived experience, and grassroots expertise as foundational to AI innovation. Our approach prioritizes participatory design, ensuring that local voices shape solutions from the ground up. To realize this vision, we are cultivating a new generation of leaders in social work, public health, and other allied fields who will advance cross-disciplinary collaboration on research, education, and training through AISG.