Transforming Society: The Social Impact of AI Innovation
Written By Social Impact Lab Japan
On July 18, 2024, "Decision Intelligence for Social Impact" was hosted at Thursday Gathering - Venture Café CIC Tokyo, offering a deep dive into how augmented human judgment through AI can enhance decision-making to address some of the world's most pressing challenges. This one-hour session, held from 20:00 to 21:00, brought together a diverse audience eager to explore the use cases of decision intelligence, in order to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) objectives.
kimaru.ai’s Game-Changing Approach
Evan Burkosky, Co-founder and CRO of kimaru.ai, took the stage to present his company's revolutionary approach to harness AI to improve outcomes in four key SDGs: Clean Water & Sanitation, Climate Action, Affordable & Clean Energy, and Sustainable Cities & Communities. kimaru.ai’s solution addresses the common challenge of data overload by offering a tool designed to reduce human bias and improve Time to Decision (TTD). The company’s decision builder enables users to map decisions visually through a drag-and-drop interface, simplifies complex decision processes by mapping them out clearly and intuitively.
For instance, in SDG #3 (Good Health & Wellbeing), kimaru.ai’s technology aims to reduce patient readmission rates through enhanced data insights. In SDG #6 (Clean Water & Sanitation), it optimizes water resource management by tracking metrics like liters of clear water generated and kilograms of reuse removed, using sensor data to drive actionable decisions. The tool’s impact on SDG #7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and SDG #11 (Sustainable Cities & Communities) is equally impressive, focusing on outcomes such as energy savings and mode share optimization for transportation.
Social Impact Lab Japan’s Visionary Leadership
Priya Sultan, Founder and CEO of Social Impact Lab Japan (SILJ), shared her inspiring journey from her early experiences in India to her impactful work in Japan. After leaving her corporate banking job, she came back to her home country and worked on a local telemedicine project. Sultan’s mentorship under Gopi Gopalakrishnan, Director of World Health Partners, inspired her to see the potential of integrating business with social good—thus leading to her work with Hult Prize and SILJ, focusing on fostering entrepreneurship and supporting young talents to change the world.
Through the conversations, she emphasized the necessity of mission driven actions, with a strong focus on ethics and humanity in combination with data and economic aspects. Sultan’s commitment to social impact was evident in her passionate speech, emphasizing the importance of leveraging decision intelligence for sustainable development and providing opportunities for people to solve problems faster, in more impactful ways. “This idea that we can make better decisions in social impact, by integrating human intelligence in this data set that we have so much of..that’s exciting to me” - Priya shared her thoughts.
Squas Pioneering Sustainable Technologies
Dr. Hareesh Nambiar, CTO & Co-founder of kimaru.ai, brought attention to the intersection of technology and social impact with his work in wastewater treatment through Squas. With 27 years of global experience, including 25 years at Panasonic, Dr. Nambiar has a deep understanding of digital transformation and sustainable technologies. His work with Squas focuses on addressing water scarcity and pollution through innovative treatment solutions. The technology developed by Squas is effective, simple, and biodegradable, significantly improving water quality and meeting safety standards.
A key element of Dr. Nambiar's approach is the integration of decision intelligence into water treatment systems. By employing concepts like Digital Twin—dynamic digital representations of real-world entities—kimaru.ai and Squas aim to enhance water and sanitation outcomes in alignment with the SDGs. “There are multiple logistical issues to overcome, and it could potentially be daunting because you don’t know which one would be the most impactful…This is where decision intelligence helps to prioritize the most meaningful action.” - said Burkosky. This synergy between Squas's advanced treatment technologies and kimaru.ai's decision intelligence layer promises improved water quality and more efficient resource management, thus serves as an example of utilizing AI in driving social change and achieving key sustainability goals.
A Successful Conclusion
The event concluded with enthusiastic questions and feedback from attendees, reflecting the growing interests in the field of bridging cutting-edge technology with human insights. The integration of AI with decision-making processes not only enhances efficiency but also drives significant advancements in achieving the desired sustainable outcomes. We believe that through this event, the insights shared and connections made will inspire new approaches and collaborations, paving the way for transformative solutions that would benefit communities worldwide.
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