Key takeaways from the AI discussions at the NetHope Global Summit 2019
Last month we had the opportunity to host several discussions about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) at the NetHope Global Summit 2019, held October 21-25 in Puerto Rico.
October 30, 2019
Above: AI discussions during the NetHope Global Summit held October 21-25, 2019 in Puerto Rico
By Leila Toplic, Lead for Emerging Technologies at NetHope, and Steve Hellen, ICT4D Director at Catholic Relief Services
Last month we had the opportunity to host several discussions about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) at the NetHope Global Summit 2019, held October 21-25 in Puerto Rico.
Here are our takeaways on four key questions:
Where do we see the potential of AI to deliver value and what will it take to realize that value?
AI/ML apply to all 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
Based on the early practical implementations in our sector, AI/ML can help us make decisions and act faster in emergencies, reach more people (e.g., refugees) with services and information they need, give us insights to predict and possibly prevent the worst from happening (e.g., disease outbreaks, famines, poaching of wildlife).
While it’s early days for AI in social impact space, we're starting to see the potential for AI to support every aspect of our work – from field programs (health, education, poverty alleviation, conservancy) to powering digital transformation within the organizations by helping us improve processes, create efficiencies, increase reach and effectiveness.
Doing good better with AI will be manifested in both improvements to existing programs and processes (e.g., automating tasks in data management) and in the creation of new solutions like TESSA chatbot or PAWS.
What are some of the challenges that humanitarian and development organizations are facing today when it comes to AI?
Capacity & Resources – AI is new for our sector and most nonprofits lack the capacity and expertise to evaluate, develop, procure and use AI-enabled solutions. There’s also a gap in resources: finding a donor who wants to spend money on new solutions and pilots; finding technical experts to help with initial model development; and AI/ML tools and services that don’t require specialized expertise.
Data - Data is a crucial component of any AI solution. Machine Learning algorithms learn from data so it is important to have sufficient amounts of high-quality data for the problem you want to solve. Getting "sufficient amounts of high-quality data” is a massive challenge for our sector, with issues across the whole journey of getting the data ready for AI – from data collection and cleansing to data management.
Sustainability – Many of the early practical implementations have come out of cross-sector collaborations: NGOs working together with tech companies and/or academic institutions who have AI/ML technical expertise and can help with the initial model development. Transitioning from the pilot phase where model is developed by a partner outside of the sector to scaling and sustaining where NGOs own re-training of the model and refreshing the data can be challenging and require new resources and processes.
Ethics - The challenge facing NGOs today is to maximize the positive benefits of AI, while preserving human rights and privacy, and protecting people from any negative impact of AI. Ethical considerations need to be embedded across all touch-points - the teams we hire, the data we use, how we frame the problem, how we develop and implement the solution, and whether we use powerful AI capabilities that could cause harm.
How is NetHope responding to the needs of the nonprofit sector and shaping the adoption and use of AI?
Following the working sessions at the 2018 NetHope Summit, NetHope's Emerging Technologies Initiative was set up as a sector-wide approach to evaluating and integrating artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, and other emerging technologies in humanitarian, development, and conservation work - and a collaboration mechanism for NGOs to partner with academic institutions, tech companies, and others in the AI ecosystem.
With the Emerging Technologies initiative, we’re focusing on increasing NGO’s internal expertise and capacity to evaluate, develop, procure, and use emerging technologies to further their impact. These capabilities help organizations make informed decisions, do their work better, anticipate issues that might arise from technologies like AI, and ensure that people in need are aware of the systems that affect them and their communities.
We believe that nonprofits have a responsibility to understand AI well enough to know what questions they should be asking when evaluating the need for AI in their work and its effects on the outcomes.
The AI Working Group is part of the Emerging Technologies Initiative and focuses on capacity building, programs, and toolkits and standards related to AI.
At the 2019 Summit, we focused on four needs that our NGO members have related to AI:
Need to advance the understanding of the potential risks of applying and using AI and how to implement AI responsibly and ethically. In the Ethical, Responsible AI working session, we examined a practical example from our sector that highlights risks, issues, and path to achieving ethical AI, and began gathering input on principles, criteria, and questions that will help inform a practical guide for ethical AI international development practitioners.
Need to get started without having specialized expertise in AI and ML. There are a number of off-the-shelf AI /ML tools and services from companies like Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Salesforce that NGOs can start exploring and experimenting.
Need to learn from practical implementations of AI in our sector - both field programs and internal operations – and reuse & scale what works. Plan International and The Carter Center, NetHope members, shared how they are using AI in their work, including lessons learned across all stages of the process - from how to frame a problem for AI and get your data in order, to how to resource teams and have the right processes in place.
Need to evaluate AI/ML for the specific problem statements that each of our members are focused on with the support from tech experts from Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Salesforce, and USAID, and using a framework of 32 questions which was developed by NetHope’s AI Working Group in collaboration with partners.
What can nonprofits do today?
Learn about AI/ML so you can make informed decisions - IF and how to use AI in your work.
Start with the problem you want to solve, not with technology.
Get your data in order. AI requires large amounts of high quality data.
Learn from other AI implementations in the nonprofit sector. Reuse what works.
Try something small first.
Understand ethical, responsible development & use of AI.
Partner for expertise & resources. Collaborate to achieve a greater impact.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking "Accept All", you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Cookie
Duration
Description
_GRECAPTCHA
5 months 27 days
This cookie is set by the Google recaptcha service to identify bots to protect the website against malicious spam attacks.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement
1 year
Set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Advertisement" category .
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
CookieLawInfoConsent
1 year
Records the default button state of the corresponding category & the status of CCPA. It works only in coordination with the primary cookie.
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Cookie
Duration
Description
na_id
1 year 24 days
The na_id is set by AddThis to enable sharing of links on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.
ouid
1 year 24 days
Associated with the AddThis widget, this cookie helps users to share content across various networking and sharing forums.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Cookie
Duration
Description
_ga
2 years
The _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors.
_ga_FTBJ3W940W
2 years
This cookie is installed by Google Analytics.
_gat_gtag_UA_50931308_1
1 minute
Set by Google to distinguish users.
_gid
1 day
Installed by Google Analytics, _gid cookie stores information on how visitors use a website, while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. Some of the data that are collected include the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously.
CONSENT
2 years
YouTube sets this cookie via embedded youtube-videos and registers anonymous statistical data.
iutk
5 months 27 days
This cookie is used by Issuu analytic system to gather information regarding visitor activity on Issuu products.
uid
1 year 24 days
This is a Google UserID cookie that tracks users across various website segments.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Cookie
Duration
Description
__ss
1 day
This cookie is set by SharpSpring, a marketing automation platform. This is used for tracking visitors and form submissions.
__ss_referrer
1 hour
This cookie is set by SharpSpring, a marketing automation platform. This is used for tracking visitors and form submissions.
__ss_tk
25 years
This cookie is set by SharpSpring, a marketing automation platform. This is used for tracking visitors and form submissions.
anj
3 months
AppNexus sets the anj cookie that contains data stating whether a cookie ID is synced with partners.
IDE
1 year 24 days
Google DoubleClick IDE cookies are used to store information about how the user uses the website to present them with relevant ads and according to the user profile.
IDSYNC
1 year
This cookie is set by Yahoo to store information on how users behave on multiple websites so that relevant ads can be displayed to them.
koitk
10 years
This cookie is set by SharpSpring, a marketing automation platform. This is used for tracking visitors and form submissions.
pa_crosswise_ts
2 years
The pa_crosswise_ts cookie is set by Perfect Audience for advertising purposes based on user behavioural data.
pa_google_ts
2 years
The pa_google_ts cookie is set by Perfect Audience for advertising purposes based on user behavioural data.
pa_openx_ts
2 years
The pa_openx_ts cookie is set by Perfect Audience for advertising purposes based on user behavioural data.
pa_rubicon_ts
2 years
The pa_rubicon_ts cookie is set by Perfect Audience for advertising purposes based on user behavioural data.
pa_twitter_ts
2 years
The pa_twitter_ts cookie is set by Perfect Audience for advertising purposes based on user behavioural data.
pa_uid
2 years
This cookie is set by prfct.co. This cookie is used across the websites that use same ad network to display ads to the other advertisers in the network.
pa_yahoo_ts
2 years
The pa_yahoo_ts cookie is set by Perfect Audience for advertising purposes based on user behavioural data.
personalization_id
2 years
Twitter sets this cookie to integrate and share features for social media and also store information about how the user uses the website, for tracking and targeting.
test_cookie
15 minutes
The test_cookie is set by doubleclick.net and is used to determine if the user's browser supports cookies.
uuid2
3 months
The uuid2 cookie is set by AppNexus and records information that helps in differentiating between devices and browsers. This information is used to pick out ads delivered by the platform and assess the ad performance and its attribute payment.
VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE
5 months 27 days
A cookie set by YouTube to measure bandwidth that determines whether the user gets the new or old player interface.
YSC
session
YSC cookie is set by Youtube and is used to track the views of embedded videos on Youtube pages.
yt-remote-connected-devices
never
YouTube sets this cookie to store the video preferences of the user using embedded YouTube video.
yt-remote-device-id
never
YouTube sets this cookie to store the video preferences of the user using embedded YouTube video.
yt.innertube::nextId
never
This cookie, set by YouTube, registers a unique ID to store data on what videos from YouTube the user has seen.
yt.innertube::requests
never
This cookie, set by YouTube, registers a unique ID to store data on what videos from YouTube the user has seen.