This post was written by Meital Kupfer about their participation in the Feminist and Ethical Artificial Intelligence for Social Impact course with Dr. Emily Springer of TechnoSocio Advisory. Sign up for the next session of Ethical and Feminist AI here.

A few years ago I conducted research with non-English speakers about their experiences navigating the digital world. That research found that artificial intelligence (AI) and other technological advancements, like natural language processing, do not often consider the needs or perspectives of global majority users or minoritized groups. I realized that I needed to fine tune my understanding of AI concepts to better address their ethical issues in my work, and so I enrolled in Feminist and Ethical Artificial Intelligence for Social Impact course with Dr. Emily Springer.

The course was a valuable use of a few days to harness improved knowledge about applying technology in our work. As a development professional, technology has become a hot button topic for me, including its application across sectors, its drawbacks, and its possibilities. However, for all of the white papers and briefings on AI in international development, there is still a dearth of folks with foundational knowledge on AI and its applications.

This training was useful for me to gain a deeper understanding of topics I speak about a lot in my work like machine learning, Big Data, and ICT4D. In our personal and professional lives, the vernacular is rapidly shifting; ranging from peppering mentions of Chat GPT in casual conversation towards the potential integration of blockchain technology to improve food distribution techniques in humanitarian crises. As a social scientist, my concern with AI and other advancements in technology has primarily been with its ethical implication towards society writ large. After this course with Dr. Springer, I am better able to identify, explain and critique these concepts.

Knowledge is power. The risk that rapidly evolving technology presents to the global majority is the lack of knowledge and the lack of control. We are all well positioned to grasp this information in hand and return to our workplaces and local contexts for encouragement, critique, and analysis. The internet and its associated outputs are meant to be a common good, a public space (or fora) where we can critically engage with discourse, content, and ideas.

Some things I want to question as I move forward in my work as a GESI researcher include::

1. How can we make large data sets more equitable for non-English speakers?

2. What demands can be made to corporations dominating the digital space to promote intersectionality?

3. What non-Western concepts of AI and technology are offering different perspectives?

These were all concepts that we touched upon in the course, including the limitations and possibilities of large data sets, and are questions that I will carry into future iterations of my work. 

Meital Kupfer is a researcher specializing in gender, equity and social inclusion (GESI), though they have increasingly integrated technology and its ethical considerations into their work. They are most interested in understanding the intersections of technology, art, and human rights.