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Pop Quiz! Guess the Number of Responsible AI and Data Guides in Humanitarian Aid

Wayan Vota

ICTworks, December 13 (2024)

"A quick search found 53 published documents with guidance on the ethical and responsible use of AI, data, or digital technology in humanitarian contexts. Many of these initiatives are relatively recent, reflecting the growing awareness of data privacy and AI transparency." (Introduction)

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Artificial Intelligence and International Cultural Relations: Challenges and Opportunities for Cross-Sector Collaboration

Octavio Kulesz

Stuttgart: Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (ifa) (2024), 120 pp.

"The integration of AI systems has profoundly transformed multiple dimensions of international cultural relations (ICR). Notably, changes in recent years have accentuated imbalances among languages, affected the situation of cultural sectors, and impacted the integrity of information while also prov ... more

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AI and natural disaster analysis: Needs analysis during disaster using Artificial Intelligence by Citibeats, February 2018 - September 2021

Citibeats; UNESCO (2024), 21 pp.

"The main conclusions drawn from the analysis of online opinions during natural disasters in Africa are highlighted below: ● Climate change is one of the main concerns of the African population in recent years. This climate problem is considered to be causing more and greater natural disasters on ... more

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Digital Ecosystem Country Assessment (DECA): Ghana

Reyn Anderson, Yaroslav Eferin, Kate Gromova, Vlad Manoil, Victor Teppeh

USAID, Digital Frontiers Project, external version (2024), 149 pp.

"Ghana is among Sub-Saharan Africa’s leaders in digital transformation. Over the past decade, the government has put the key institutions, legislative frameworks, strategies, and policies in place that are necessary to drive change. The Ministry of Communications and Digitalization leads and coord ... inates development and implementation of a core set of policies and strategies that are digitally transforming the government, economy, and society. The ICT for Accelerated Development (ICT4AD) Policy has guided this journey for more than a decade. A new Digital Economy Policy is drafted and under review to drive the next stage of Ghana’s digital development. The National Financial Inclusion and Development Strategy and the National Cyber Security Policy and Strategy have also been key. Ghana adopted an inclusive approach to developing its cybersecurity strategy, which contributed to improved cybersecurity capacity and considered citizens’ online safety and freedoms. However, a clear strategy for protecting critical national infrastructure is missing. Ghana has been a pioneer and champion of digital government transformation in West Africa over the past decade, with funding and support from the World Bank. Important whole-of-government platforms and services have been put in place, including the Government Wide Area Network (GWAN), which provides internet connection to more than 1,000 district assemblies, hospitals, police stations, and post offices across the country; a National Data Center; the Smart workplace suite, which includes email and productivity tools for government employees; and Ghana.gov portal, a one-stop-shop for citizen services. Still, digital government transformation is incomplete. Easy, efficient, online government services are in demand, but the Ghana.gov portal options are limited, and most major government service providers have their own separate online services portals. The national identity Ghana Card could enhance digital service delivery by providing a universally recognized, secure, and easy-to-use means of digital identification and authentication for citizens when accessing both public and private digital services, but the current identification system is not integrated with other government-operated databases, significantly reducing its many potential applications. The Regional Coordinating Councils, and metropolitan, municipal, and district assemblies (MMDAs) are just now embarking on the digital transformation journey. The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development coordinates their efforts. Challenges for Ghana’s remaining efforts at digital government transformation include adequate funding to manage and maintain its connectivity and data center infrastructure, affordable internet for regional governments, inadequate digital literacy and skills among mid-level and regional staff, or related national training programs. A big skill gap exists in cybersecurity; Ghana faces a deficit of skilled cybersecurity professionals. The government also needs to improve efforts at stakeholder engagement and awareness-raising when developing new policy proposals." (Executive summary, pages 11-12) more

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Error 404, farmer not found: Why agricultural information services must consider how smallholders use their phones

Jonathan Steinke et al.

Alliance of Bioversity International; International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT); CGIAR (2024), 7 pp.

"Numerous barriers hinder mobile information services in delivering information effectively to smallholder farmers. Many of these barriers can be explained by farmers’ habits in using their phones. Therefore, carefully considering how exactly farmers use their phones in specific local context is c ... more

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AI for Good: Impact Report

Geneva: ITU (2024), viii, 80 pp.

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Principles for Digital Development
Key Guides

Principles for Digital Development Working Group (2024)

"The Principles for Digital Development serve as a compass for those working to promote sustainable and inclusive development in today’s complex digital landscape. Using these Principles as a starting point, policymakers, practitioners, and technologists will be better equipped to ensure that all ... people can benefit from digital initiatives and from the broader digital society. Originally developed in 2014, the Principles are officially endorsed by more than 300 organizations, including donors, international organizations, and civil society organizations. During the first decade (2014-2024), they widely influenced funder procurement policies and the design and implementation of development programs. In 2024, the Principles were updated in consultation with a diverse set of individuals and organizations. Through this effort, the community expressed the need for the Principles to better reflect that people today largely interact with technology outside of development programs. Today, all people – even those who do not yet have access to or use technology – live in societies that are increasingly shaped by digital ecosystems that can bring both immense benefit and immense harm. Therefore, the refreshed Principles recognize the need for radical inclusion and local ownership; elevate issues arising from the generation and use of digital data; emphasize that open approaches to innovation can support the realization of the nine Principles; and intentionally speak to the original audience while resonating further with the full diversity of individuals and organizations that exert power over the design, deployment, and governance of digital systems and solutions. The Principles are mutually reinforcing, as they emphasize the actions needed to ensure no one is left behind in an increasingly digital world." Ultimately, when designing and implementing a policy, solution, system, or intervention, endorsers of these Principles commit, at minimum, to do no harm, and at best, to ensure their work maximizes the agency of people and communities to drive their own development. To achieve these objectives, each endorser will define how these Principles can be operationalized in their work, sphere of influence, and specific initiative. " (Introduction) more

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AI for social good and the corporate capture of global development

Gianluca Lazzolino, Nicole Stremlau

Information Technology for Development, volume 30, issue 4 (2024), pp. 626-643

"This article focuses on the AI for Social Good (AI4SG) movement, which aims to leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). It argues that, through AI4SG, Big Tech is attempting to advance AIdriven technosolut ... more

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Towards Digital Inclusion in Rural Transformation

Kevin Hernandez, Justin Flynn, Jun He, Huda Alsahi

Rome: FAO (2024), xiii, 113 pp.

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Conjuring a Blockchain Pilot: Ignorance and Innovation in Humanitarian Aid

Margie Cheesman

Geopolitics (2024), 28 pp.

"When aid professionals adopt high tech pilot projects, ignorance, blind faith, misplaced trust, and authentic expertise all come into play. Based on ethnographic research in Jordan, I examine how a refugee aid organisation produces and applies a blockchain pilot. Innovative pilots help internationa ... more

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Transforming rural Africa: Trends and experiences in rural communication services

Rome: FAO (2024), vii, 54 pp.

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5 Lessons Learned Running a Chatbot Service for Social Good
Deep Insights

Isabelle Amazon-Brown, David Cole

ICTworks (2024)

"ONE is a campaigning and advocacy organization focused on fighting extreme poverty and preventable diseases, particularly in Africa. ONE had been using mobile technologies to reach new audiences since 2012, leveraging SMS, USSD, IVR and mobile-optimized websites to provide a simple and easy for cit ... more

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Stratégie Continentale sur l’Intelligence Artificielle: Mettre l'IA au Service du Développement et de la Prospérité de l'Afrique

Union Africaine (2024), 63 pp.

"Pour l'Afrique, l'IA pourrait avoir un impact significatif sur la réalisation des aspirations de l'Agenda 2063 et des Objectifs de Développement Durable (ODD). Elle est considérée comme un moteur de changement positif, de transformation socio-économique et de renaissance culturelle. L'IA peut ... stimuler la croissance économique, créer de nouvelles industries, motiver l’innovation, générer des opportunités d'emploi, développer de nouveaux créneaux d'activité économique pour les femmes et les jeunes, soutenir la préservation du patrimoine culturel de l'Afrique et aider à résoudre quelques défis complexes et urgents de l'Afrique dans les domaines de la santé, de l'agriculture, de l'éducation, des finances, de la prestation des services publics et bien d'autres encore. La stratégie continentale de l'Union africaine (UA) en matière d'IA s'aligne sur les aspirations de l'UA en matière de développement inclusif ainsi que sur ses valeurs fondamentales. Guidée par les principes d'éthique, d'inclusion et de diversité, des droits de l'homme et de dignité humaine, de bien-être des personnes, de paix et de prospérité, elle donne la priorité au développement et à l'adaptation des systèmes d'IA au contexte africain. Cette stratégie propose une approche inclusive, centrée sur l'Afrique et axée sur le développement autour de cinq domaines d'intervention notamment : tirer le meilleur parti possible des avantages de l'IA, renforcer les capacités en matière d'IA, minimiser les risques, stimuler l'investissement et favoriser la coopération. Elle définit une vision commune et identifie les interventions clés en matière de politique pour permettre au continent d'exploiter l'énorme potentiel de l'IA tout en relevant les défis sociétaux, éthiques, sécuritaires et juridiques associés aux transformations induites par l'IA. Avec cette stratégie continentale en matière d'IA, l'Afrique est en train de poser les fondements nécessaires pour devenir une partie intégrante de la révolution de l'IA en optimisant ces avantages et en libérant son très grand potentiel pour ouvrir de nouvelles perspectives pour tous les citoyens. La population africaine, jeune et technophile, est bien placée pour adopter les technologies innovantes et les mettre au service de la transformation économique et sociale." (Avant-propos) more

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United Nations Activities on Artificial Intelligence (AI) 2023

Geneva: ITU (2024), xviii, 366 pp.

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Laptops in the Long-Run: Evidence from the One Laptop per Child Program in Rural Peru

Santiago Cueto, Diether W. Beuermann, Julian Cristia, Ofer Malamud, Francisco Pardo

Inter-American Development Bank (2024), 38 pp.

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AI for Climate Action: Applications and Principles in Development Cooperation

Katelin Butler, Moritz Harzbecher, Sven Marc Egbers, Lea Voigt, Erik Lehmann, Ruth Schmidt

Bonn; Eschborn: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) (2024), 16 pp.

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The promises and pitfalls of cryptocurrencies and blockchain for marginalized communities

Densua Mumford, Michael Sampson, James Shires

Information, Communication & Society, volume 28, issue 11 (2024), pp. 1979-1996

"Cryptocurrencies, and the blockchain technology that underlies them, have attracted much attention over the last decade from scholars, tech communities, financial institutions, states and more. The extreme volatility of the cryptocurrency market has made some people very rich and cost others almost ... more

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ICT and Rural Development in the Global South
Deep Insights

Willem van Eekelen

London; New York: Routledge (2024), xiii, 211 pp.

"Drawing on years of experience across 45 countries, as well as extensive original academic research, Willem van Eekelen situates the evolving role of ICT in wider development patterns in the Global South. He discusses the effects of ICT on agriculture, trade, financial flows, resource management an ... more