Article by UNDP: “Increasingly AI techniques like natural language processing, machine learning and predictive analytics are being used alongside the most common methods in collective intelligence, from citizen science and crowdsourcing to digital democracy platforms.
At its best, AI can be used to augment and scale the intelligence of groups. In this section we describe the potential offered by these new combinations of human and machine intelligence. First we look at the applications that are most common, where AI is being used to enhance efficiency and categorize unstructured data, before turning to the emerging role of AI – where it helps us to better understand complex systems.
These are the three main ways AI and collective intelligence are currently being used together for the SDGs:
1. Efficiency and scale of data processing
AI is being effectively incorporated into collective intelligence projects where timing is paramount and a key insight is buried deep within large volumes of unstructured data. This combination of AI and collective intelligence is most useful when decision makers require an early warning to help them manage risks and distribute public resources more effectively. For example, Dataminr’s First Alert system uses pre-trained machine learning models to sift through text and images scraped from the internet, as well as other data streams, such as audio broadcasts, to isolate early signals that anticipate emergency events…(More)”. (See also: Where and when AI and CI meet: exploring the intersection of artificial and collective intelligence towards the goal of innovating how we govern).