Impact Science

In our impact science disciplines, we apply deep technical expertise to some of the world’s the most pressing challenges, while advancing the underlying science and creating business and societal value. Our main focus areas are the future of health, climate, and work.

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Overview

We are only a few decades into the 21st century, and yet humanity is more informed, better connected, and more capable than at any point in our collective history. But with these advances come large, existential challenges: How do we improve our healthcare to provide the next pandemic? How can we mitigate the increasing threat of climate change? How will AI, automation, and other technologies change that nature of work in the future?

In impact science, we’re aiming to address so of these questions, building on the unique skills, capabilities, and knowledge base that exists in IBM Research and across the company more broadly. We’re relying on our deep expertise in fundamental technologies like AI, the hybrid cloud, data science, data protection and governance, security, and materials science to do so.

We’re working to help companies transition to low-carbon and carbon-capture strategies; to build models on how to more accurately predict and track diseases; and how the world of work will shift as companies begin return to offices. We want to help answer the challenges ahead of us with science.