We are in the midst of an unprecedented surge of interest in machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. These tools, which allow computers to make data-derived predictions and automate decisions, have become part of daily life for billions of people. Ubiquitous digital services such as interactive maps, tailored advertisements, and voice-activated personal assistants are likely only the beginning. Some AI advocates even claim that AI's impact will be as profound as "electricity or fire" that it will revolutionize nearly every field of human activity. This enthusiasm has reached international development as well.

Recently, a researcher showed that he could create Deepfake text with artificial intelligence that is so real that US government officials did not know it was computer-generated, and accepted it as legitimate public comment. He then did a Turing Test to see if humans trained on spotting natural language processing could tell the difference between bot and human text. They were right about 50% of the time – essentially as good as flipping a coin. While reading the academic paper, I thought to myself, "Could machine learning to do the same for international development?" We have so much nuance, arcane language, and peculiarities, I didn't think it was possible.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies, although still relatively new concepts, are garnering a vast amount of interest in international development across sectors and geographies. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)'s Center for Digital Development (CDD)'s Strategy & Research (S&R) team published a report in 2018, "Reflecting the Past, Shaping the Future: Making AI work for International Development", based on extensive research on this rapidly growing field. USAID would like to translate the report's recommendations into an actionable format so the lessons and good practices are accessible to USAID program staff and implementing partners that may have limited familiarity with, nor time, to devote to the topic. Today, the Digital Frontiers team has released a request for proposals (RFP) for qualified firms to work with Digital Frontiers and USAID's S&R team to create a modular, field-ready guidance product that translates findings from the report into concise, practical guidance for USAID staff and partners. Photo courtesy: Save the Children.

The hype around artificial intelligence is reaching a fevered pitch in the global economy. In international development, there are Nethope webinars, TechChange courses, and USAID guides to build our excitement around this new technology. Yet, the peak of the hype cycle is also when we should pause and take a hard look at what is real, and what is just aspiration. Technology Salons next month in Washington, DC and Johannesburg, SA will be taking a close look at artificial intelligence in international development. We want to dive into real examples, understand the risks and rewards, and publish a comprehensive guide to who is innovating, and what they are learning.

In Africa, it's not just Kenya that knows the value of AI. Aubra Anthony, a strategy and research lead for the Center for Digital Development within the U.S. Agency for International Development, wrote on 24 May 2018 in techcrunch.com about his discovery in Johannesburg, South Africa. This is what he says: "On a recent work trip, I found myself in a swanky-but-still-hip office of a private tech firm. I was drinking a freshly frothed cappuccino, eyeing a mini-fridge stocked with local beer and standing amidst a group of hoodie-clad software developers typing away diligently at their laptops against a backdrop of Star Wars and xkcd comic wallpaper. I wasn't in Silicon Valley: I was in Johannesburg, South Africa, meeting with a firm that is designing machine learning (ML) tools for a local project backed by the U.S. Agency for International Development."

Compared with the planet's other large tracts of tropical forests, the forests in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have remained relatively intact -- although that soon may be changing. Driven by factors such as shifting cultivation (slash-and-burn agriculture), fuelwood demand, logging, mining, infrastructure development, population growth and migration, rates of forest loss in the African country have doubled over the past 15 years. Based on an application of machine learning, the study focuses on a specific set of the DRC's most intact forested areas identified as containing critical biodiversity habitat; it predicts that without intervention, at least 820,884 acres of these critical forests could be lost by 2025. The collective size of this predicted forest loss -- an area the size of Luxembourg within a country the size of Western Europe -- may be small, yet millions of people rely on these forests for food, shelter and medicine. This underscores an urgent need to use this study to inform smart land-use decisions in the DRC. Within the DRC, our research focuses on the landscapes prioritized by the Central Africa Regional Program for the Environment (CARPE), a U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded program implemented by WRI and other partners.