As we stand on the brink of another promised “revolution,” the question “Will AI, data and technology save us?” carries profound implications for international development. This question goes beyond the capability of new technologies to address the world’s most pressing challenges, requiring us to look back at lessons from previous industrial revolutions. Will this time be different? Instead of widening the already vast gulf between the rich and poor, amplifying disinformation, or facilitating new forms of gender-based violence, can we harness the AI revolution to work for everyone? This new era presents no easy answers, but it remains a cause for both optimism and caution.
The cause for optimism is great. AI’s capacity to process and analyze vast amounts of data offers unprecedented opportunities to improve decision-making and resource allocation in international development. AI can help predict disease outbreaks and natural disasters in real-time, enabling quicker and more effective responses. In agriculture, AI can optimize crop yields, improve soil management, and reduce waste through precision farming techniques. Machine learning algorithms can analyze climate patterns and predict weather changes, such as floods, which could prove instrumental in achieving food security and reducing inequalities in regions vulnerable to climate change, such as West Africa. Throughout 2023 and 2024, we are leveraging support from WFP’s Innovation Accelerator, the Belmont Forum, and the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation to implement OPAL for Humanitarian Action in Senegal to achieve precisely this.
However, implementing AI for international development comes with significant challenges, including issues of data privacy, algorithmic bias (e.g., gender and racial), and the digital divide. The concentration of AI research and development in a few wealthy nations also poses the risk of exacerbating global inequalities. Some of these challenges are discussed in our book chapter in the 2023 UNESCO-MILA “Missing Links in AI Governance” titled “AI for the SDGs—And Beyond? Towards a Human AI Culture for Development and Democracy.” In it, we posit that the main barriers to effective AI use are not technological or technical, but political and cultural. Therefore, ethical considerations must be at the forefront of AI deployment, ensuring transparency, accountability, and the protection of human rights to ensure equitable and inclusive progress.
In conclusion, AI holds the promise of being a powerful tool in the arsenal of international development, capable of driving significant progress towards the SDGs. However, whether AI will “save us” depends on our collective will to harness its potential responsibly and equitably. It requires a commitment to collaboration, ethical standards, and an unwavering focus on inclusivity, or what we call “human-centered AI.” By fostering awareness, skills, and participatory systems, this approach can promote human development and democracy on an unprecedented scale. At DPA, we continue to support efforts to meet these standards, thereby working towards a future where AI’s full potential is unlocked for the benefit of the many, rather than the few.
Emmanuel Letouzé, PhD
Director and Co-Founder
Image Accordion Content Goes Here! Click edit button to change this text.
Image Accordion Content Goes Here! Click edit button to change this text.
Image Accordion Content Goes Here! Click edit button to change this text.
Image Accordion Content Goes Here! Click edit button to change this text.
Accordion content goes here!
We collaborated with the governments of Senegal and Ghana and Smart Africa to co-develop their first National Data Strategies, focusing on sustainable socio-economic transformation for all.
Image Accordion Content Goes Here! Click edit button to change this text.
Image Accordion Content Goes Here! Click edit button to change this text.
Image Accordion Content Goes Here! Click edit button to change this text.
Image Accordion Content Goes Here! Click edit button to change this text.
Accordion content goes here!
DPA’s OPAL for Humanitarian Action (OPAL4HA) was selected to join the Humanitarian Innovation Accelerator Programme (HIAP) and present at the World Food Program (WFP) Humanitarian Innovation Accelerator Pitch Event, being one of 16 organizations chosen out of 379 applications from 85 countries.
Image Accordion Content Goes Here! Click edit button to change this text.
Image Accordion Content Goes Here! Click edit button to change this text.
Image Accordion Content Goes Here! Click edit button to change this text.
Image Accordion Content Goes Here! Click edit button to change this text.
Accordion content goes here!
Partnering with UNDP Country Offices in Sierra Leone and Liberia, we identified development challenges and transformative opportunities in the borderland region intersecting peace-building and humanitarian action.
Collaborating with UNFPA, UNICEF, UNDP Sierra Leone, and the Rainbo Initiative, we contributed to a movement addressing child marriage and female genital mutilation, leading to a historic 2024 national bill to ban child marriage.
Amidst natural and political crises in Haiti, we worked with UNICEF Haiti to study Port-au-Prince’s spatial distribution and dynamics of violence involving children and youth, in an effort to lead positive change in the country.