Microsoft AI powers India’s digital journey

Today, more than 800 million people around the world suffer from hunger. In India, front-line health workers are responsible for tracking 40-60 kids within their intervention areas, but they don’t have the training or resources to accurately assess their overall nutrition. Towards this, a Germany-based private aid agency Welthungerhlife has launched a unique project in India to help address malnutrition in children with a cloud-based, smartphone app called Child Growth Monitor, that is powered by Microsoft Azure Cloud and Artificial Intelligence (AI) services.

Child Growth Monitor is an intelligent app that can detect malnutrition and enable health workers identify and provide care to children struggling from chronic undernourishment. India is the first country to pilot this project. Welthungerhlife’s India-based partner Action against Hunger is scanning 10,000 children under the age of five years across Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan by March 2019 and 12 teams of 150 trained health workers have been provided app-enabled smartphones to collect data of children.

Using an infrared sensor available on smartphones, the Child Growth Monitor app directly captures 3D measurements of a child’s height, body volume and weight ratio, and loads the data onto Azure Cloud. The scans are then evaluated by nutritionists and IT specialists using Azure AI solutions, analysing the child’s dietary health. This data is used by field workers to work out nutrition plans and provide children with vitamin-rich provisions base don their requirements.

Anant Maheshwari, president, Microsoft India, says, “AI holds the power to reinvent how we solve societal challenges for socioeconomic advancement and support the country’s growth. The power of AI—which can be put to innovative use in sectors like healthcare, education, environment and agriculture—is just beginning to be realised and can be a game-changer for India.”

The Redmond-based firm is working with stakeholders across public and private sectors, civil society and academia in the country to create, what the Microsoft India president calls, “the right conditions for human-centered AI.” As part of an agreement, the company supports the government policy think-tank Niti Aayog by combining the cloud, AI, research and its vertical expertise for new initiatives and solutions across several core areas including agriculture, healthcare and the environment.

Last year saw the American tech multinational roll out several new projects across healthcare, including a partnership with Apollo Hospitals to use AI for early detection of cardiac diseases. SRL Diagnostics is applying Microsoft AI for more accurate diagnosis in digital pathology and early detection of diseases such as cancer.

“The next wave of innovation for India is being driven by the tech intensity of companies—how you combine rapid adoption of cutting-edge technology with your company’s distinctive technology and business capabilities. Nearly 85% of enterprises globally will use AI in some form or the other by 2020,” says Maheshwari. “In India, over 700 business and government organisations have adopted Microsoft AI solutions to drive breakthrough in their digital transformation. Over 60% of these AI customers come from large businesses in manufacturing and financial services. Close to 715 partners are working with Microsoft in India to help customers design and implement an AI strategy, aimed to boost employee productivity and jump start new product innovation.”

Microsoft aims to skill over 10,000 developers; set up AI labs in 10 universities; and train 500,000 youth across India over the next three years. It recently announced the Intelligent Cloud Hub Program to equip research and higher education institutions with AI infrastructure, build curriculum and help faculty and students to build their skills and expertise in cloud computing, data sciences, AI and IoT.