How AI could tackle a problem shared by a billion people

Earlier this month, Google AI Impact Challenge grantees from around the world gathered in San Francisco to start applying artificial intelligence to address some of the world's toughest problems, from protecting rainforests to improving emergency response times. In addition to receiving part of the $25 million pool of funding from Google.org, each organization is participating in a six-month program called the Launchpad Accelerator. The accelerator kicked off with a week-long boot camp which included mentorship, workshops, presentations from AI and product experts and an opportunity to connect with other grantees. They also received support and guidance from DataKind, a global non-profit dedicated to harnessing the power of data science and AI in the service of humanity. Throughout the accelerator, grantees will receive ongoing support and coaching from their Google mentors as they complete the first phase of their projects. We sat down with Rajesh Jain from grantee Wadhwani AI, an Indian organization with a project dedicated to using AI to help farmers with pest control, to learn more about the problem he and his team are setting out to solve, and how support from Google will help them get there.