Severe weather is impacting agriculture across the globe. The Midwestern United States has been continually flooding since March, inflicting $2.9 billion in property damage and threatening the livelihoods of farmers throughout the region. Internationally, food security is under threat from an onslaught of drought, while agriculture is already subject to the challenges of thin margins and complex global trade. Meanwhile, there is increasing pressure to do more with less to ensure food security for the growing global population. To meet these pressures, farmers are driven to get the most out of every harvest, even if that short-term focus may have long-term ill effects on the soil and ultimately their yield.

Over the past decade, rapid advancements have made it possible for AI systems to do things we once only dreamed about. However, much of the hype around AI and machine learning tends to focus on its potential for business, productivity, and profits. Perhaps there should be more spotlight on how we can use AI for good. AI has the power to tackle many of the biggest problems on the planet and could make a huge impact on sustainability, our environment, and even humanity itself. As you'll see from the real-life examples in this post, robots, and humans are already showing they can be an incredible team.

On March 11, 2011, one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded shook the northeastern coast of Japan, causing a tsunami that killed nearly 20,000 people. More than 2,000 remain missing. The Tohoku region outside of Tokyo was hit especially hard, forcing the local community to completely rethink how it responds to future disasters. With the help of a grant from Microsoft's AI for Earth program, researchers like Bai Yanbing of Tohoku University are attempting to harness the power of artificial intelligence solutions to improve mapping technology so that relief workers might stand a better chance of saving more lives when the next earthquake hits. "Japan is very much earthquake country," warns Professor Jun Murai of Keio University.

Microsoft and National Geographic are teaming up to support data scientists who are tackling the "world's biggest challenges." The two companies today announced the AI for Earth Innovation Grant program, a $1 million grant that'll provide recipients financial assistance, access to AI tools and cloud services, and more to advance conservation research. The grant program, which is accepting applications until October 8, will support between five and 15 projects in five core areas: agriculture, biodiversity, conservation, climate change, and water. In addition to funding, researchers will gain access to Microsoft's AI platform and development tools, inclusion in the National Geographic Explorer community, and affiliation with National Geographic Labs, National Geographic's research incubation and accelerator initiative. "[I]n Microsoft, we found a partner that is well-positioned to accelerate the pace of scientific research and new solutions to protect our natural world," Jonathan Baillie, chief scientist and executive vice president at the National Geographic Society, said in a statement.

Microsoft has pledged $50 million over the next five years to broaden its AI (artificial intelligence) for Earth program, the company announced. The program was announced in July to make AI accessible for researchers to solve environmental challenges. Microsoft will also provide universities and organisations with advanced training to put AI to its best use, Microsoft President Brad Smith said.

Microsoft has announced an expansion to its AI for Earth program, committing an additional $50 million to organizations that are working to solve the climate change crisis. The tech giant first announced AI for Earth back in June, and the initiative promised to provide a bunch of cloud-based tools and AI services to organizations looking to tackle problems relating to climate change. At the time, Microsoft said it was putting $2 million into the program, in addition to other add-ons, such as providing training on the use of AI. Today, the company announced an "expanded strategic plan" and a further $50 million over the next five years to "put artificial intelligence technology in the hands of individuals and organizations around the world who are working to protect our planet," according to Microsoft president and chief legal officer, Brad Smith. The news comes on the eve of the two-year anniversary of the Paris Agreement, which was adopted by nearly 200 countries around the world in December, 2015.