CHANGE YOUR MIND : WHY AI AND SUSTAINABILITY GO HAND IN HAND

Okay, what do you think of when you read the words “Artificial Intelligence” ?

You picture robots taking over the world, right ? Or at best, you imagine tech geniuses typing frantically on their computer to create new ways to radically transform your daily habits, for better or for worse.

Well, I want you to stop right there and please read what follows. I am hoping these few lines change your mind. At least a little bit, just to make you think twice...

AI contains way more purpose and emotion than what people usually think. Algorithms are thought out by real humans just like you and me, and some (most !) of them want to build a better world. And all of them firmly believe that it is the machine that should adapt to mankind, and never mankind that should adapt to the machine.

Keeping this in mind, new machine learning tools have been created in various sectors. From large scale solutions to hyper targeted ones, AI can intervene in very diverse subjects. For the sake of my argument, I’ll illustrate with some examples of how AI is at our service to help us develop sustainably.

The first example is Google (as always when it comes to tech)...Their data centers use machine learning to limit overstock and overprocessing as AI analyzes where to cut energy consumption.

The second example deals with a sector that could not be farther from technology : food ! Computer vision (a field of artificial intelligence) has helped Windows collect data in restaurant kitchens everywhere in the world. This is how they managed to create Winnow Vision, a food waste tracker that assists chefs in the understanding of what measures they can take to reduce food waste and cost. You see, AI can really be of assistance anywhere !

My last example has to do with something that is dear to my heart : fashion. Indeed, AI can be used to decrease errors and scraps, which limits waste and overproduction. At Eva Engines, with our newest product, Eva Generate, this is exactly what we aim to do. During garment construction, many samples and prototypes are made in order to see all design alternatives and then make a decision about which one will go to market. But these samples and prototypes are always discarded. Our online platform enables designers to upload their technical drawings, choose a fabric and a color digitally, and then generate a hyper realistic picture of the garment that they have drawn. Design teams don’t have to build infinite amounts of prototypes anymore. They can just make a decision from our generated images. We help save time, money and resources !

As I have shown you with only 3 examples, tech giants and tech startups really do care about transforming workflows in every sector in order to change the world sustainably. So stop fearing AI and start believing in them when they tell you that they put all of their knowledge and resources into this one goal.

Let’s all be actors of a more responsible and digital world !