Microsoft launches $40 mn AI programme for humanitarian causes
Orlando (Florida), Sep 24 : Microsoft on Monday launched a new $40-million programme aimed at harnessing the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for disaster recovery, helping children, protecting refugees and displaced people and promoting respect for human rights.
The tech giant said it would execute the five-year programme by working deeply with select non-governmental and humanitarian organisations through grants, investment of technology and shared expertise.
Unveiled at the annual "Microsoft Ignite 2018" conference here, the programme called "AI for Humanitarian Action" is part of Microsoft's "AI for Good initiative" that was launched in July last year.
"Today, in conjunction with the United Nations General Assembly meeting, we are announcing AI for Humanitarian Action, a new $40-million dollar five-year Microsoft programme," said Microsoft President Brad Smith.
"We believe that technology, like AI combined with Cloud technology, can be a game changer, helping save more lives, alleviate suffering and restore human dignity by changing the way frontline relief organisations anticipate, predict, and better target response efforts," Smith added in a blog post.
At the conference, Microsoft also released an array of security programmes and products.
Among them are "Microsoft Secure Score" -- a dynamic report card that assesses Microsoft 365 customer environments and makes recommendations that can reduce breaches up to 30-fold -- and "Microsoft Authenticator", which helps make secure sign-on easier for workers with features like password-free login.
"In this era of the intelligent Cloud and intelligent edge, businesses in every industry are looking for a trusted partner to help them transform," Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said in his keynote address.
"We are pushing the bounds in AI, edge computing and IoT (Internet of Things), while providing end-to-end security to empower every organisation to build its own digital capability and thrive in this new era," Nadella added.
Microsoft said its "AI for Humanitarian Action" programme will accelerate the pace of innovation by managing strategic AI projects that demonstrate new applications, delivering reusable solutions and partnering with others to expand and scale initial projects.
AI can address humanitarian causes in myriad ways. For example, AI technologies like machine vision can quickly analyse images of roads damaged or destroyed by an event, making way for a faster and safer response, Smith explained.
"In a new partnership with the World Bank, United Nations, and partners from the tech industry, relief organisations will be better able to predict when and where future famines will occur so aid can arrive earlier, potentially saving more lives," the Microsoft President noted.
AI and Machine Learning (ML) also have the potential to improve the lives of approximately 68 million displaced people in the world, 28 million of whom are refugees.
"AI can help optimise the delivery of aid, supplies, and services to refugees and can scale NGOs' efforts to communicate and understand displaced peoples' needs," Smith explained.
The company said it would collaborate with NGOs and humanitarian organisations to accelerate breakthrough solutions to help monitor, detect and prevent human rights abuses.
"We are hopeful the world will see what a compelling force for good AI can be when it's used well in partnership with innovative NGOs. By ensuring technology fulfils its promise to address the broadest societal needs, we can empower everyone to achieve more," Smith noted.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
'Operation Sindoor 2.0 seems inevitable as Pakistan fixated on Kashmir issue with Chinese support'
Gandhinagar (PT): Lieutenant General Dushyant Singh (retd) on Sunday said the Indian armed forces must remain prepared as "Operation Sindoor 2.0" is inevitable, mainly because Pakistan's military remains fixated on the Kashmir issue with support from China and Turkiye.
Singh said the "ceasefire" during Operation Sindoor in May remains “fragile” due to repeated violations by Pakistan on the Line of Control (LoC).
He also highlighted the need to improve narrative-building capabilities by India, which he described as one of the shortcomings during the military operation.
ALSO READ: Boy called ‘Fauji’ by APJ Abdul Kalam at age 3 becomes Lieutenant at 22
Singh, Director General of the New Delhi-based think tank Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS), was addressing a gathering at the headquarters of the Indian Air Force’s South Western Air Command (SWAC) near Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
His address was part of the ninth edition of the Late Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon (PVC) Annual Memorial Lecture, organised by the Air Force Association, Gujarat Branch.
"Operation Sindoor was not the end, but it was the beginning of new dynamics of escalation management. So, what are the chances of any future conflict with our adversary? The answer is yes. 'Operation Sindoor 2.0' is not merely a possibility; it is inevitable. The earlier we prepare for it, the better we are," said Singh.
He added that the likelihood of another 'Operation Sindoor' remains high as Pakistan’s military continues to remain fixated on the Kashmir issue, with backing from China and Turkiye.
Singh, however, expressed confidence in the Indian government’s ability to deal with future threats.
"One of the successes of Operation Sindoor was the doctrinal shift. It discarded restraint and exposed Pakistan's weaknesses. For the first time since the 1971 war, a tri-service synergy was achieved. Political clarity translated into military precision, air defence innovation, and surprised global observers," said Singh.
Operation Sindoor was India's swift, targeted military response in May 2025 to a major terrorist attack in Pahalgam, aiming to destroy terrorist infrastructure and launchpads inside Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir.
Highlighting shortcomings, Singh said India was weak in international narrative management.
"Diplomatic missions were not briefed aggressively, and pro-India lobbies abroad remained under-utilised. Narrative warfare was not fully leveraged. This is a gap we cannot afford in the future," the retired Army officer said.
ALSO READ: BJP people 'gaddar', 'dramebaaz'; need to be removed from power: Kharge
He noted that Pakistani social media influencers flooded platforms such as TikTok, with amplification support from Chinese social media networks, and even targeted youth audiences in Bangladesh.
Singh also pointed to intense cyber warfare during the four-day operation.
"Cyber attacks on India were heavy during the four days of Operation Sindoor, but our counter-offensive cyber operations were either not clearly articulated or we were not aware of them," he said.
Singh said cyber attacks on government networks had surged sevenfold during the four-day period.
"The power sector witnessed nearly two lakh cyber attacks, while the National Stock Exchange faced around 40 crore cyber attacks. Had any been successful, it could have triggered a financial crisis," he said.
Singh emphasised that modern conflicts extend beyond land, sea and air, underscoring that multi-domain warfare is now a reality.
"We need coordinated information propagation during conflicts. On the information warfare front, Chinese media were deeply engaged in data analysis and crafting messages to amplify India’s fault lines," he said.
He recommended codifying a "national security strategy.
"India needs a well-documented national security strategy. We also need to reform intelligence and internal security, fast-track the integrated theatre command, raise defence spending by 3 per cent of the GDP, excluding pensions, and focus on outcome-based budgeting, not process-driven," the retired officer said.
ALSO READ: Gunmen kill at least 11 people at Jewish event at Sydney's Bondi Beach
Singh also called for the creation of dedicated Cyber Warfare and Cognitive Warfare Commands, and stressed the need to overhaul India’s strategic communications.
"We need to mend India's strategic communication for better narrative building. Siloed messaging by agencies such as the MEA and MoD led to delayed rebuttals during the operation, which amplified Pakistan’s narrative. These things are equally important because they affect India's overall image.
"Weak technology integration failed to counter viral claims about Indian jets. We must deploy AI for disinformation tracking and engage the 32 million-strong Indian diaspora as narrative amplifiers," Singh added.
Air Vice Marshal Anil Golani (retd), Director General of the Centre for Air Power Studies (CAPS), spoke about the relevance of air power and the future of the Indian Air Force.
He said Operation Sindoor was a strategic shift from restraint to "deterrence by punishment".
Claiming that Pakistan's aggressive moves against India during the military conflict exposed collusion between China and Pakistan, Golani said China used the conflict to test its weapons. PTI PJT NSK
