Photo credit: Rockefeller Foundation modified by Causeartist
Artificial intelligence is often discussed through the lens of disruption.
The headlines focus on job displacement, automation, existential risks, and the race among technology giants to build increasingly powerful models. While those conversations matter, they often overshadow another story unfolding at the same time: how AI is already helping solve real-world problems for millions of people.
In the inaugural episode of the Intelligence for GOOD podcast, I sat down with Andrew Sweet, Vice President of Innovation at The Rockefeller Foundation, to discuss how one of the world's most influential philanthropic organizations is approaching artificial intelligence.
The conversation covered everything from smallholder farmers and public services to education, entrepreneurship, and the future of philanthropy. But perhaps the most surprising revelation was that The Rockefeller Foundation has been connected to artificial intelligence from the very beginning.
Long before ChatGPT, Claude, or modern AI models existed, The Rockefeller Foundation helped launch the field itself.
In 1955, computer scientist John McCarthy submitted a proposal to the Foundation outlining an ambitious idea: creating machines capable of human-like intelligence. In that proposal, McCarthy coined the term "artificial intelligence."
The Rockefeller Foundation funded the project, leading to the historic Dartmouth Summer Research Project on Artificial Intelligence in 1956, widely considered the birth of modern AI.
Seventy years later, The Rockefeller Foundation finds itself once again at the center of conversations about artificial intelligence, but with a different question:
How can AI be deployed in ways that genuinely benefit humanity?
For Sweet, that question defines much of his work today.
Sweet's path to leading AI initiatives at Rockefeller began far from Silicon Valley.
After serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Togo, West Africa, he worked on global development policy, joined USAID during the Obama administration, and later led consulting efforts across Africa with Dalberg Advisors.
When the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, he joined The Rockefeller Foundation to help lead its pandemic response efforts.
As the pandemic began to subside, attention shifted toward another rapidly emerging challenge and opportunity: artificial intelligence.
The release of ChatGPT in late 2022 accelerated public awareness of AI and created an entirely new landscape for philanthropy, governments, nonprofits, and social impact organizations.
Rather than viewing AI solely as a technology issue, Rockefeller saw it as an opportunity to connect innovators with organizations already solving problems on the ground.
One of the most interesting insights from the conversation was that many nonprofits are not primarily asking for funding.
Instead, they're asking for access.
Access to AI tools.
Access to technical expertise.
Access to relationships with leading technology companies.
Sweet explained that many organizations working on critical social challenges already understand the problems deeply. What they often lack is a direct connection to the people building the technologies that could help solve them.
That realization has shaped Rockefeller's strategy.
The Foundation has become a bridge between AI companies and organizations working in agriculture, education, healthcare, workforce development, and public services.
One of the best examples is Digital Green.
Digital Green was originally created to improve agricultural extension services for farmers in developing countries.
The challenge is straightforward: there simply are not enough agricultural advisors to support every farmer who needs assistance.
In some regions, a single agricultural extension worker may be responsible for thousands of farmers.
With support from Rockefeller and collaboration with OpenAI, Digital Green launched Farmer.Chat, an AI-powered agricultural assistant.
Farmers can:
Take a photo of a crop disease
Ask questions about pests or fertilizers
Receive recommendations in local languages
Access information instantly from their phones
Today, nearly two million farmers across multiple countries are using the platform, with ambitions to reach four million users in the near future.
The example challenges a common narrative surrounding AI.
Rather than replacing workers, Farmer.Chat addresses a situation where there were never enough workers available in the first place.
As Sweet explained, one of the most promising uses of AI is filling critical talent gaps in sectors where human capacity is already stretched thin.
Report: Rockefeller Foundation Mobilizes $450M+ Investments for U.S. Communities During Big Bets for America Convenings - Read more
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One of the most compelling moments in our discussion centered on how AI is perceived outside the United States.
In many Western conversations, concerns about misuse dominate the narrative.
But at a recent global AI summit in India, Sweet encountered a different perspective.
"We're not concerned about misuse. We're concerned about missed use."
That statement captures a growing sentiment across many developing economies.
For countries facing challenges in healthcare access, education quality, agricultural productivity, and public services, AI is often viewed less as a threat and more as an opportunity.
Many leaders see artificial intelligence as a chance to leapfrog traditional development barriers and accelerate progress.
The question is not whether AI will arrive.
The question is how quickly communities can adopt and benefit from it.
As AI adoption grows, countries are increasingly focused on what Sweet calls "AI sovereignty."
Governments want greater control over:
Data storage
Language representation
Local infrastructure
Model development
National AI capabilities
Across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, countries are investing in local AI ecosystems rather than relying entirely on foreign providers.
One example is the emergence of Africa's first AI factory in Cape Town, which provides local computing infrastructure designed specifically to serve African organizations and governments.
The broader trend reflects a growing belief that countries should play an active role in shaping their own AI futures rather than simply consuming technologies built elsewhere.
Perhaps the most practical takeaway from the conversation was around education.
Sweet believes AI literacy is becoming a foundational skill.
Much like previous generations needed to learn how to use email, spreadsheets, and productivity software, future workers will need to understand how to effectively use AI tools.
Rockefeller is already supporting programs that help students develop these skills.
In West Virginia, students are learning how to build applications, solve community challenges, and earn university credentials while still in high school.
The goal isn't simply teaching students how to use AI.
The goal is helping them understand how to create with it.
That distinction matters.
The students aren't just consuming technology. They're building with it.
Another theme that emerged throughout the conversation was entrepreneurship.
AI is dramatically lowering barriers to building products, launching businesses, and solving problems.
Tasks that once required teams of engineers, designers, marketers, and analysts can increasingly be accomplished by small teams or even individuals.
The rise of AI-powered entrepreneurship could create opportunities for people who previously lacked access to technical resources or startup ecosystems.
For Sweet, that possibility represents one of AI's most overlooked benefits.
Rather than concentrating opportunity, AI may enable more people to participate in innovation than ever before.
The Rockefeller Foundation is also exploring how AI can improve government services.
In Maryland, AI tools are being introduced to help residents navigate public benefits programs more efficiently.
The objective is simple:
Make government services easier to access.
Reduce complexity.
Improve response times.
Create a more human-centered experience.
While AI is often associated with private sector innovation, some of its most meaningful applications may ultimately emerge within public systems that affect millions of people's daily lives.
Throughout the conversation, one idea surfaced repeatedly.
The future of AI will not be shaped solely by technology.
It will also be shaped by narrative.
If public discussions focus exclusively on risks, society may miss opportunities to deploy AI in ways that improve lives.
If conversations focus only on optimism, important challenges may go unaddressed.
What is needed is balance.
As Sweet put it, we need more voices capable of discussing AI objectively, honestly, and practically.
Not as evangelists.
Not as critics.
But as people focused on outcomes.
