Let’s stop talking about AI

Let’s talk about how to solve problems

Artificial intelligence (AI) has attracted a lot of attention and scrutiny since ChatGPT launched in November 2022. The new features of large language models and the rapid development of new tools and functions since then have sparked a lot of curiosity, the need for AI rules and standards, and a fear that AI will harm humans.

Public worry about AI is quite high. For example, a survey by the Pew Research Center from August 2023 finds that 52% of Americans feel more worried than excited about the increased use of AI. This is a 14 percentage-point rise since December 2022 after ChatGPT was released.

But it is important to understand that AI is not new. Neural networks have been available to data scientists and statisticians since the 1950s. AI is a buzzword that has dominated the headlines for years. We hear about the latest breakthroughs, the ethical dilemmas, and the potential threats of AI. But what we don't hear enough about are the problems that AI can help us solve.

AI is not an end goal. It is a process that needs humans to point it at the right problems. It is a tool that can empower human creativity, discovery, and collaboration. If we use AI in the right way, it can help us address some of the most urgent issues of our time, such as an aging society (and the related workforce, healthcare, and economic impacts), climate change, poverty, population health, education, and security. But to do that, we need to change our perspective from focusing on the technology, to asking it to help find patterns and answers to our big problems.

Instead of asking how we can make AI more powerful, we should ask how we can make it more useful. Instead of worrying about the risks of AI, we should explore the opportunities of AI. Instead of talking about AI, we should start solving problems with AI.

AI for good: making a positive difference

Our clients regularly ask us how new AI tools can help them achieve positive outcomes for their organizations and for society. Across the industry and government sectors we serve, we help organizations apply AI to enhance human capabilities, improve efficiency, and create value. This includes boosting productivity, growth and innovation and enhancing customer experiences through better decision-making and intelligent automation, for example.

The following are just a few examples of how, by focusing on the problem first and envisioning where technologies like AI can provide a solution, we can focus on AI for good:

Transforming access to health and well-being services in space and on Earth

As part of the Canadian Space Agency’s Connected Care Medical Module initiative, we recently announced the delivery of our prototype, Harmony. This intelligent medical pod integrates the latest advancements in medical support technologies to transform the way astronauts, patients and first responders will access and experience health and well-being services in space and on Earth. The module will use AI to monitor and support the physical and mental health of astronauts during long-duration missions beyond Earth’s orbit. It will also provide personalized recommendations and interventions to enhance the well-being and performance of the crew. The project aims to improve the safety and sustainability of human spaceflight, as well as advance the knowledge and technology for terrestrial health applications. The goal is not just to support deep space missions, but to provide a tangible way to support remote and rural healthcare closer to the patient by using AI and health modalities in partnership with telemedicine.

Improving operations, security and experiences through better monitoring

Computer vision uses AI to enable machines to understand and interpret visual information for a variety of applications, such as facial recognition, object detection, scene segmentation, and image enhancement. We are using our computer vision solution (CGI Machine Vision) to help clients improve their operations, security, and customer experiences. Examples include monitoring crowds on public transportation as well as monitoring unmanned facilities and hard-to-reach infrastructure for failures to improve public safety, human safety and productivity.

Integrating crime data to enable strategic scenario planning

In the UK, a Safer Streets pilot model uses a digital twin to integrate crime data for violence and sexual offenses, with CGI’s support. The data feeds a machine learning tool to help law enforcement and public safety organizations model different scenarios. This enables them to plan for resource allocation to manage threat risk and harm using a more strategic and evidence-based approach.

Again, these are just a few examples of how we partner with our clients to use the power of AI to create value for their customers, employees, citizens and society.

AI and the way forward: Focus on the creative solutions

AI is not a static technology, but a dynamic and evolving field that offers new possibilities and opportunities every day. Generative AI, deep learning, computer vision and multi-model solutions such as digital triplets are some of the new tools that enable us to generate novel and creative solutions for complex and diverse problems.

So, let’s stop focusing on the technology, and start examining the really tough problems facing society and how these tools can help us make our lives better.

The potential of AI for good is unlimited, as long as we use it responsibly and ethically. At CGI, we are committed to harnessing the power of AI across multiple industries and geographies to help our clients achieve tangible business outcomes and, ultimately, to fulfill their objectives of making a positive difference in the world.

Please reach out to me to continue this dialog and explore more examples of AI for Good in a blog by Christina Fung, head of our AI Enablement COE.