Top technology companies including Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Facebook and IBM have come together to launch a non-profit organization aimed at advancing public understanding of artificial intelligence.

The new organization will focus on best practices and ethics. The organization called The Partnership on Artificial Intelligence to Benefit People and Society would have a 10-member board.

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The participating companies will pool monetary and other resources such as human resources and data towards the cause. The board of the organization will comprise representatives of member companies, academics and policy experts. However, the partnership has expressly stated that it will not lobby government or other policymaking bodies.

A statement released by the organization said that Artificial Intelligence could be used for several beneficial purposes. It stressed that AI not only enhances the efficiency of software but may also boost the productivity of hardware. The founding members of the partnership plan to maximize the potential of AI and "ensure it benefits as many people as possible."

Artificial Intelligence has come to the fore of technological sector. Last year, a similar organization OpenAI was formed by the likes of Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Peter Thiel and others. The organization's main objective is to carry out research in the area of AI with "focus on a positive human impact."

The current main use of AI is in the design of self-driving cars. Apart from it, AI is also being used by the technology companies to build virtual assistants such as Apple's Siri, Microsoft's Cortana and Amazon's Alexa.