Stanley Kubrick’s flick “2001: A Space Odessey” was the spark that ignited many people’s fears of artificial intelligence (AI) and machines taking over humanity. The unflappable, callous voice of Hal 9000, as it malfunctions, exposes the dystopia of depending on technology for critical tasks.

But when you look at what’s occurring across the world—fighting in Ukraine and Russia and Israel and Palestine, spread of extreme ideologies and disdain for those who differ, and cost-cutting that plunges people into unemployment, poverty, and susceptibility—none are caused by technology. All are born from human intelligence (or more aptly, conviction and fear).

Fear is what motivated prehistoric man to find shelter, build fires, and craft weapons. No doubt, staying one step ahead of charging mammoths and saber tooth tigers was prudent. As time chugged along and the education of young’uns evolved from fireside chats to classrooms, universities, and a dizzying array of devices and technologies, one would have thought humans would have evolved, recognizing harmony, acceptance, and progress are better than the antonyms.

Speaking of progress, check out these amazing innovations that leverage AI to make the world a better place.

WISAMO: Powers commercial ships with giant inflated fabric envelopes (sails) on automated telescopic masts that respond to wind direction and force, reducing fuel consumption by up to 20%.  

BEE WISE: Creates self-contained, autonomous BeeHomes™ honeybee habitats that use AI and robotics to remotely monitor and ensure the health and productivity of colonies, leading to 70% less colony loss.

NEBULAA: Developed MATT, a solution that leverages AI and deep learning to assess 12 different core crops, analyzing each grain for defects, fungal damage (mycotoxins), purity, tearing, etc. The solution removes the subjectivity of human evaluation and is 20% faster with 99.9% accuracy.

TEVEL: Designed Flying Autonomous Robots™ that use AI, computer vision, and machine learning algorithms to harvest fruit based on level of ripeness, resulting in minimum bruising and the highest-quality produce being collected.  

THE OCEAN CLEANUP: Uses machine learning to identify plastic pollution in rivers and oceans, which is then removed by autonomous, solar-powered extraction units. The project is expected to reduce ocean plastics by 90% by 2040.