How AI can help solve some of humanity's greatest challenges – and why we might fail

In 2015, all 193 member countries of the United Nations ratified the 2030 "Sustainable Development Goals" (SDG): a call to action to "end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity." The 17 goals – shown in the chart below – are measured against 169 targets, set on a purposefully aggressive timeline. The first of these targets, for example, is: "by 2030, [to] eradicate extreme poverty for all people everywhere, currently measured as people living on less than $1.25 a day". The UN emphasizes that Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) will be critical in the pursuit of these ambitious targets. Rapid advances in technologies which have only really emerged in the past decade – such as the internet of things (IoT), blockchain, and advanced network connectivity – have exciting SDG applications.