WATCH: Google using AI to tackle food insecurity, weather and floods

Food security, flood and weather forecasting. These are just a few of the projects Google is conducting in its intensive research using Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The search engine giant shared details of the working AI projects with journalists from South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya at its Google Research Africa office in Accra, Ghana this week.

The Google Research Africa teams are focused on developing Al solutions relevant to the African continent, and Google’s investment in research in Africa is a reflection of the continent’s growing importance in the global technology landscape.

Watch Dr Aisha Walcott speaking about the potential of AI

AI’s transformative potential

Google said it believes that AI has the potential to a be a transformative technology for the continent.

Speaking to The Citizen, senior staff research scientist and co-lead at Google Research Africa Dr Aisha Walcott said Google’s team is developing AI working in collaboration with partners on the ground and effecting core challenges on the continent that also scale to the world.

“Some of the incredible work is from our Open Buildings data set, which started with a focus on the developing world but has matured to a point where its providing information much across the global south with now 1.8 billion buildings.

“We have varying new and early work on an important problem of food security that is plaguing many countries on the continent and more importantly vulnerable populations. You also saw the tremendous potential that having accurate weather forecasts for Africa can have in terms of agriculture and other industries that rely on weather for their decision making, not only for industry but also down to the individual,” Walcott said.

According to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) over the past 50 years, 22% of deaths and 67% of economic losses caused by the natural disasters were the result of extreme precipitation events.

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Flood forecasting

The Google Research Africa team also showcased its Flood Forecasting, which is critical, considering KwaZulu-Natal and other areas were plagued by recent floods.  

Google researcher Florence Ofori said Flood Forecasting uses advanced machine learning to predict flooding events with precision.

“All forecasts are displayed on our Flood Hub platform which serves as a vital tool for communities, especially in riverine regions, to anticipate and mitigate flood impacts. Covering river basins in more than 80 countries, including 23 in Africa, our Al synthesizes data from satellites, weather radars, and river gauges to generate reliable forecasts.

“Our collaborative efforts with governments, NGOs, and the private sector are central to delivering this critical information to those who need it most, many in the African continent,” Ofori said.

According to Geoscience World, floods cause between 5,000 and 60,000 fatalities every year affecting between 95 million and 240 million people, and cause between $21 billion and $33 billion in economic damages.

The World Bank estimates that early warning systems are the most cost-effective infrastructure investment in climate resilience, with a cost-benefit ratio of more than 1:9.

Research

Yossi Matias, VP Engineering and Research, Google said AI is transformative and has advanced.

“The observation is that with AI we can actually tackle problems in a global way… To solve problems, you have to have people who understand the problem in [a] better way. So, that’s why the mission of solving problems for Africa and the world is strong and important in what we have here.”

Google focuses on fundamental research in computer science and related fields, with teams located all over the world.

It is an initiative to expand Google’s research presence on the African continent, launched in 2018 with the opening of an Al research centre in Accra, Ghana, and expanded in 2022 to Nairobi, Kenya.

Google said Africa is home to a young and increasingly tech-savvy population, and the continent is rapidly becoming a major market for digital products and services.

“By investing in research in Africa, Google is helping to ensure that the continent is at the forefront of the development of new Al technologies.

“These technologies have the potential to solve some of Africa’s most pressing challenges, such as poverty, disease, and hunger,” Google said.

Google said it want’s Google Africa Research to be a fundamental research institution and that the projects are expected to go live in the next year.

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