Google unveiled the Digital Futures Project, a new project focused at assisting researchers and public policy issues surrounding AI. A $20 million fund will be established by Google’s charity organization Google.org as part of the initiative to support think tanks and academic institutions working to advance AI.
The tech giant claims it wants to support independent thinkers who are researching issues such as how artificial intelligence will affect global security; how it can be used to improve the security of institutions and businesses; how AI will affect employment or how we can transition the workforce to the AI jobs of the future; and how governments can use AI to boost productivity and economic growth.
Director of Google.org Brigitte Hoyer Gosselink said, “Artificial intelligence has the potential to improve our lives and address some of society’s most complicated concerns, like avoiding disease, making cities function better, and forecasting natural disasters. However, it also raises concerns about security, the future of work, and fairness, bias, and false information.”
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The Aspen Institute, Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Leadership Conference Education Fund, MIT Work of the Future, R Street Institute, Institute for Security and Technology, Brookings Institution, Centre for a New American Security, and SeedAI are among the inaugural grantee organizations for the Digital Futures Project.
Google claims that the fund would help organizations all across the world, and not just those in the United States. More information on this front will be available soon. The launch of the project comes ahead of a private meeting later this week where US Congress will meet with leading AI industry leaders, including Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and Sundar Pichai, among others.
