One of Carnegie Mellon University’s newest initiatives has received a $1 million donation, intended to support machine learning research that solves problems in the public sector.
In June, the university developed an initiative, CMU AI, to unite the school’s various disciplines in artificial intelligence research to attract more investors and funding.
On Tuesday morning, CMU announced Chicago-based predictive analytics software company, Uptake, would invest $1 million in CMU AI to create a new fund for student and faculty projects, called Machine Learning for Social Good.
The fund will allow students and faculty to employ their expertise in machine learning and data science to solve a set of problems in the public sector, working alongside nongovernmental organizations, nonprofits and government agencies.
"Social enterprises are tackling some of the world's most pressing challenges — things like combating human trafficking, improving access to education and fighting crime in city neighborhoods," said Uptake CEO Brad Keywell in a release. "Data-driven insights can provide solutions to each of these complex, systemic issues.”
Roni Rosenfeld, professor of machine learning and language technologies at CMU, will lead Machine Learning for Social Good.
He is already conducting research on influenza for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
On Mr. Rosenfeld’s staff page, he encourages organizations grappling with various social issues — but also would benefit from expertise in machine learning or data science —to contact him.
“Best cases are those where the potential for societal impact is evident, the questions are well defined and significant relevant data is available,” he writes.
Uptake, which launched a philanthropic arm called beyond.uptake in 2016, already solves critical problems for social sector organizations, including a college-matching solution for underserved students and an anti-poaching solution for sub-Sahara Africa.
"Machine learning and data science have already contributed immensely to improving education, public health, economic development, international aid and other pressing social needs," Mr. Rosenfeld said in a release. "That's why this support from Uptake is so critical, and why we will engage faculty members and students from across SCS to bring forth our best talent to new applications."
Courtney Linder: clinder@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1707. Twitter: @LinderPG.
First Published: August 29, 2017, 7:48 p.m.
