Microsoft launches $40 million AI for Humanitarian Action initiative

Microsoft today introduced the AI for Humanitarian Action initiative, a $40 million, five-year plan to support developers interested in creating tools and services with the goal of helping humanity. The initiative will focus on four specific areas: refugees and displaced people, the needs of children, disaster response, and human rights. This is Microsoft's third major AI for good initiative. The AI for Earth initiative first announced in 2017 is a five-year, $50 million pursuit to create artificial intelligence that helps the planet, supporting initiatives for things like biodiversity, conservation, and climate change. One initiative to receive a grant from Conservation Metrics is using AI to recognize the unique sounds of elephants' calls to track them over time.