In order to place the urgent of COVID-19 response work firmly in the context of the equally urgent need to create new and better systems and new paradigms, and because now is the time to connect the work feminist researchers and thinkers envision for an inclusive and thriving future, the <A+> Alliance co-led by Ciudadanía Inteligente and Women@TheTable, with Gender at Work supported by the International Development Research Centre IDRC, are launching the <A+ Global Directory> AI for Democracy & Women’s Rights.
The highlights the multi-disciplinary global and diverse work going on in the Global South, North, East, and West and the leaders tackling gender and/or racial bias through AI research and action in groundbreaking and creative ways.
The use of Artificial Intelligence and Automated Decision-Making Systems will only accelerate moving forward, therefore there is a great need to think about the future we want to see – both in driving the response to the COVID-19 crisis and in creating an agenda for the future. In this challenging moment, the Alliance, and Gender at Work, supported by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) launched fr, a Feminist AI Research Network to contemplate new systems and new structures for the times ahead.
Renata Ávila, Co-founder of the A+ Alliance, Executive Director of Ciudadanía Inteligente, emphasized that “This is a small step for our network in our efforts to shape the tech future we want. The is a tool for journalists, policymakers, and public authorities to inform, design, and decide on key digital infrastructures. Here they can find global experts working on the solutions for a free, fair, and feminist AI future, and engage with the impressive network of experts the Directory collects.”
Caitlin Kraft-Buchman, Co-founder of the A+ Alliance, and CEO of Women at the Table explain “AI should serve democracy and women’s rights. We believe gender equality is a stealth app for democracy. This is the first step in sharing the global breadth and depth of creativity in AI thinking, research, and design from the Global South, North, East, and West. There really is an extraordinary range of work going on everywhere.”
The pilot phase of this global invitation-only fr network gathered a cohort of eminent social scientists, economists, and activists, side by side with data, machine learning, and computer scientists to discuss how to fix the system and leverage AI for democracy and women’s rights.
Here are some of the leaders researching new systems approaches from around the world, ready to change the world.