f<a+i>r Feminist AI Research Network was spotlighted in the recently published Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) Reports for 2024: Towards Substantive Equality in Artificial Intelligence: Transformative AI Policy for Gender Equality and Diversity and the Policy Guide for Implementing Transformative AI Policy Recommendations.
The Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) is an international initiative established to guide the responsible development and use of artificial intelligence (AI) in a manner that respects human rights and the shared democratic values of its members. The partnership was first proposed by Canada and France at the 2018 44th G7 summit, and officially launched in June 2020. GPAI is hosted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
The Feminist AI Research Network
The Feminist AI Research Network, f<A+i>r, initiative aims to create inclusive AI technologies by addressing systemic gender, racial and intersectional biases. The invitation-only Global Directory includes approximately 100 feminist AI academics, activists and practitioners from different fields that share multidisciplinary research and feminist AI innovation to advance trans- formative change. f<A+i>r fosters South-South-North- South knowledge sharing and highlights feminist in- novations globally. The f<A+i>r network was created in 2020 by the <A+> Alliance for Inclusive Algorithms, supported by the International Development Research Centre of Canada (IDRC), the Oak Foundation and the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) Human Rights and Women’s Rights Divisions.
How the initiative advances substantive equality : The f<A+i>r initiative furthers the goals of addressing systemic disadvantage by actively combating gender, racial and intersectional biases in AI technologies. It seeks to correct future harms with new data, algorithms, models, policies and systems that can be researched and piloted for transformative change. It redresses the democratic deficit by fostering the inclusion of and supporting the capacity development of feminist innovation teams from the Global Majority. The initiative reverses misrecognition by producing effective, innovative, interdisciplinary models that harness emerging technologies, correcting for real-life bias and barriers to women’s and other marginalised groups’ rights, representation and equality.
Policy insights
■ The promotion of transformative AI systems: By funding and supporting in other ways the development and implementation of AI systems and processes that actively integrate techno-feminist principles and correct systemic gender and intersectional biases (creating new datasets, algorithms and models), policy makers support gender equality and diversity in AI.
■ Collaboration and knowledge exchange: The network of feminist technologists from the Global Majority contributes to the development of context-specific AI solutions that address regional needs and challenges. This leads to more inclusive and equitable AI policies globally.