How can we leverage AI and technology to transform the way we address climate change, enhance healthcare, improve human lives through robotics, and create prosperous learning environments?

Challenge Overview

Artificial intelligence is transforming how innovators tackle complex challenges across sectors. Researchers are using generative models to design novel proteins in weeks rather than years. Climate scientists are deploying machine learning to optimize energy grid management across aging infrastructure and accelerate materials discovery that once took decades. Robots in factories powered by computer vision are improving efficiency and creating upskilling opportunities for workers, while robotics in healthcare enable precision surgery and protect workers in hazardous environments like chemotherapy preparation. Educators are leveraging AI-powered tutors and co-teachers to personalize instruction for students in under-resourced communities. The World Health Organization has released ethical guidance on utilizing large multi-modal models to meet public health goals. In 2025 alone, almost half of global funding was allocated to the artificial intelligence sector, signaling unprecedented opportunity for AI-enabled solutions to address global challenges. 

As AI scales globally, new frontiers for innovation emerge. The next generation of breakthroughs will unlock energy-efficient AI infrastructure, ensure algorithms work across diverse populations and create new pathways for workers as industries evolve. In the 2025 FII Priority Compass, FII found that across the Global South, citizens see artificial intelligence as a powerful engine for jobs and economic growth; yet, this optimism is matched by serious concern. These findings underscore a critical moment for innovation. The question is no longer if AI will shape the future, but who it will serve and how it will be built. 

The FII Institute believes that artificial intelligence has the potential to turn ideas into real-world solutions that leave a lasting impact on humanity. Through direct investment, ecosystem building, and connections to the most influential changemakers, FII seeks to support innovations that can scale and help humanity prosper. Through the FII Innovators Pitch, we are seeking solutions in the following key areas:

• Sustainability - Solutions that address climate change and environmental degradation, including deploying renewable energy, modernizing infrastructure, compressing discovery timelines for biological solutions, or enabling systems for circular economies.

• Health - Solutions that improve healthcare accessibility, diagnostic accuracy, and therapeutic development, while ensuring effective solutions reach underserved populations.

• Robotics - Robotics solutions that improve human lives by delivering measurable social or economic impact. 

• Education - Solutions that personalize learning and support educators to meet diverse student needs, reduce systemic barriers, and show measurable impact.