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Project

Strengthening global and inclusive approaches to responsible AI policy and practice
 

Project ID
109670
Total Funding
CAD 424,880.00
IDRC Officer
Matthew Smith
Project Status
Active
Duration
36 months

Programs and partnerships

Lead institution(s)

Project leader:
Mathieu Marcotte
Canada

Summary

Artificial intelligence (AI) applications are profoundly impacting the world. AI is a set of technologies upon which applications are being built and applied in almost every domain of social and economic life.Read more

Artificial intelligence (AI) applications are profoundly impacting the world. AI is a set of technologies upon which applications are being built and applied in almost every domain of social and economic life. Fueled by the increasing availability of computational power, improved connectivity, and data, AI offers innovative ways to promote human development by spurring new start-ups, improving food systems, enabling higher quality education systems, and tackling pressing health and climate challenges for many low- and middle-income countries.

However, the push for global guidelines, standards, and frameworks on responsible and ethical AI practice and policy lacks southern voices and perspectives. It is vital to ensure that experts in Africa, Asia, and Latin America participate and shape recommendations, solutions, and norms to mitigate harm and combat biases that are meaningful and effective.

The Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) is an international and multi-stakeholder initiative to guide the responsible development and use of artificial intelligence consistent with human rights, fundamental freedoms, and shared democratic values. The GPAI brings together leading experts from the public, private, and non-profit sectors to collaborate on applied AI projects and activities across working groups on responsible AI, AI and pandemic response, data governance, the future of work, and innovation and commercialization. In 2020, GPAI established the Montreal Centre of International Expertise for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (CEIMIA) to lead on the themes of responsible AI, AI and pandemic response, and data governance.

To strengthen the capacity of GPAI to incorporate perspectives of the Global South, this project will support two AI specialists from that region. These fellows will work within CEIMIA, with the five expert groups and the Canadian AI ecosystem, to better consider the needs and interests of southern countries in their overall work on responsible adoption of artificial intelligence. The fellows will be crucial in strengthening alliances between GPAI and CEIMIA, and AI experts and organizations in the Global South.