Leveraging Data and AI to Achieve the SDGs: Using Mobile Phone Data to Combat Noncommunicable Diseases While Moving Toward a Global Data Access Framework

SDGCounting UN World Data Forum Session Notes

This post is part of a series highlighting sessions from the 2020 UN Data Forum. Watch every session or read our summary.

Summary: In this session, participants discuss the abilities and challenges of leveraging artificial intelligence to address global problems. The power of sharing data is contrasted with the need for privacy and barriers to investment. Attention is paid to policy and infrastructure barriers.

Speakers

• Ann Akiteng, Uganda Initiative for Integrated Management of NCDs
• Ashley van Heteren, McKinsey & Company
• Dustin Gibson, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
• Robert Kirkpatrick, UN Global Pulse
• Tayab Waseem, stability.ai
• Cyrus Hodes, AI Initiative at The Future Society

Key Takeaways

Robert Kirkpatrick, UN Global Pulse

We need to get to a future that we can look forward to as opposed to a dystopia where 95% of data are in hands of few people… to do this, we need a new data architecture.

What this requires: AI and AI oversight, open data and open source solutions, partnerships with private companies

One issue we face is a lack of evidence to influence investment.

Challenges: There are no standards of privacy and tech outpaces regulatory ability.

Ashley van Heteren, McKinsey & Company

Dustin Gibson, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

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