Is it possible that the theme of the Davos World Economic Forum — “creating a shared future in a fractured world” — is a vision that galvanizes world leaders, corporate bosses and regular people to come together and share a single positive future outcome? Is it possible that such actions are already underway all over the world but at a grassroots level? #Metoo, #timesup and #innovationforgood are all conversations driving us toward action, and technology is front and center in enabling this shared vision and making it a reality.

Yes, robots and AI could outplace, displace and possibly even replace workforces all over the world, but there are so many positive and catalyzing innovations today that I choose to view the glass as half full. Innovation for good was a major topic of panel discussions at Davos this year. Innovations that are serving humanity and improving human conditions are shared throughout the summary document — from improving education in our schools and workforce skills in the most rural areas of the world to changing deep-seated beliefs by using the power of virtual reality to build empathy through experiences.

Here is just one example from the WEF-AM18 report of how VR empowered positive change deep in the Amazon: “Awavena, created by Australian artist Lynette Wallworth, is a virtual reality journey deep into the Amazon. It tells the story of Hushuhu, the first woman shaman of the Yawanawa tribe. It took the courage of the dying male shaman to break with centuries of taboo and give Hushuhu his blessing. Since then, the Yawanawa tribe has seven female and seven male chiefs.”

Innovations will create opportunities we haven’t even imagined yet. Understanding some of the possibilities may open our minds to new ways of working or helping you create your own innovations for good. I’ll share several to get your brainwaves flowing.

Below are four incredible technologies that are changing the world for the better:

1. AI Fighting Poverty 

We’ve all heard about how artificial intelligence could have great potential benefits for society, but these benefits stretch beyond the workplace or our homes. According to a recently published New York Times article, AI might be able to combat the longstanding war on poverty: “Poverty, of course, is a multifaceted phenomenon. But the condition of poverty often entails one or more of these realities: a lack of income (joblessness); a lack of preparedness (education); and a dependency on government services (welfare). AI can address all three.”

AI could offer better job matching for lower-income workers, it could help identify needed job skills and it could aid in custom skills training or retraining to prepare lower-income people for better jobs. This technology can remove much of the guesswork as to how to improve humanity overall and support those living in extreme poverty.