Organizations
These are groups and organizations that are using ML & AI to change the world for the better.
- Google Brain Health
One of the most exciting applications of AI is to healthcare. Google's Brain team focuses on large-scale AI research, with one of their main areas of focus being health sciences. The Brain team developed an algorithm to identify diabetes early through retinal imaging with a F-score of .94. Other areas of research include an open-source deep learning model called DeepVariant that can greatly aid in genomic analysis. Brain's research in this field has the potential to fundamentally democratize healthcare by allowing those without access to healthcare experts to receive the benefits of their knowledge.
- The Algorithmic Justice League
First gaining recognition for their work on racial and gender biases in facial recognition, the AJL is an organization dedicated to ensuring the fair and equitable use of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence. Founded by noted AI ethicist and researcher Joy Buolamwini, the organization performs rigorous, standards-based research on the ways that technology can marginalize people in today's society. As AI & ML will only affect more people in more meaningful ways, the AJL and similar organizations' work will prove to be invaluable in ensuring that gross inequalities are not perpetuated or created in the continuous advancement of these technologies.
- Project Jupyter
Project Jupyter is a nonprofit organization focused on developing open source software and standards that allow efficient and accessible interactive computing across multiple platforms. They are most well-known for the Jupyter Notebook, which allows code and outputs to be displayed in a clean and easy to read format. The Notebook has been widely adopted in computer science and specifically data science and AI/ML development. When LIGO announced the discovery of gravitational waves, Jupyter Notebooks were released to allow reproduction of the results. The Atlantic wrote an article in 2018 proclaiming that Jupyter Notebooks had made conventional scientific papers irrelevant.
- The Free Software Foundation
The Free Software Foundation nominally promotes software that is freely available under open sharing licenses. The GNU Project, funded by the FSF, was instrumental in the creation of the widely used operating system Linux. Their focus on providing and using only software that is open-source, freely available, and without restrictive licensing has had a significant impact on the technology industry as a hold. The FSF's ideals stand against commercial, copyrighted software and instead focus on empowering users.
- The Linux Foundation
The Linux Foundation is dedicated to supporting the development of Linux, a free and open-source family of operating systems based on the Linux kernel. Linux is incredibly fundamental in modern society, powering over 90% of all cloud infrastructure and being used in more than 70% of all mobile devices. The Foundation is involved in standardizing Linux as well as fostering numerous other open-source projects with a focus on transparency and democracy. Some projects hosted by the Linux Foundation include Let's Encrypt, which allows any organization to create a secure website, and the ClusterDuck protocol, which uses AI to rapidly set up a network in the aftermath of a disaster.
- openpilot
Developed by autonomous vehicle startup comma.ai, openpilot is a free and open-source driver assistance system. What makes it unique, other than its open-source nature, is that it integrates with already existing cars and adds driver assistance technology to them. This is in stark contrast to typical driver assistance systems, which are usually completely proprietary and require a new car specifically for that system. openpilot represents a movement to make the vision of autonomous vehicles accessible to all while integrating with existing technology.