AI for Impact?
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Steven Clift EDem
Jan 23, 2025, 11:06:15 PMJan 23
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Hey all, I've been a huge fan of the global AI-infused work by Iceland's Citizens Foundation for well over a decade. I recently read the ACM journal article featuring their work and was impressed by all the substance (linked from here): https://github.com/CitizensFoundation/policy-synth
To that end, I was curious about any other major tech for good/civic tech/digital democracy/nonprofit AND AI/machine learning infused projects that are doing good work? What's on your radar?
I'm doing a bit of potential matchmaking/awareness raising on the for-profit side of impact investing and AI, but also knowing about expressly non-profit projects might also lead to some good things.
Cheers,
Steven Clift
P.S. After running an "ecommerce for good" Shopify app for six years, I am back doing various tech for good projects. My main gig is with The Aspen Institute and their effort to help rebuild social trust through transformational, relationship building volunteering AND I'm working with their online volunteer opportunities tech and outreach: https://weavers.org
Steven Clift EDem
Jan 27, 2025, 3:07:59 PMJan 27
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FWIW, I do have a large funder active in both for-profit and charitable uses of AI for impact who has asked me to share what I am finding out there on the theme. (After I made this post based on some exchanges in an impact investing community of which I am also a member.)
I can't say who, but I'd love to gather up what's on you radar and you never know who might notice it. Post here or send along privately.
Most of the public interest examples floating around out there are in the climate/environmental and health themes. What about democracy, disaster response, civic education, etc.?
Thanks,
Steve
Martín S
Jan 27, 2025, 3:16:10 PMJan 27
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Hey Steven, long time :)
We at Abrimos.info have an ongoing collaboration with LAIA.ar, an
AI lab in Argentina. I have written about it in my Linkedin,
although the full report is not published yet (in spanish)
We have another report about the same project here (in spanish):
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/martinsz_transparenciacdmx18aaehos-activity-7287859644645928964-rprn?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop
Also, I've asked in Linkedin about AI uses, so you can read about it here (in spanish):
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/martinsz_ia-innovaciontecnologica-productividad-activity-7284612405739819008-wnuR?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop
Finally, I have participated in research by the Journalism Cloud Alliance and the report does mention AI usage by data journalism, this one is in english!
Oh, here's my experience in the AI and Democracy Hackathon:
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/martinsz_thrilled-to-share-that-yesterday-i-had-activity-7262546609312251905-lwxw?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktopHopefully some of this is what you were looking for :)
Martín.
El 23/01/25 a las 22:06, Steven Clift
EDem escribió:
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Lorelei Kelly
Jan 27, 2025, 3:54:45 PMJan 27
to Martín S, tictecby...@googlegroups.com
hi Steven, good to hear from you!
I've been working on modernization in Congress for nearly a decade now--part of a civil society cohort that has supported the Select Committee on Modernization and now implementing the recommendations. The recs that I am most interested in are here on this doc--they involve institutional strengthening on civic engagement and institutional capacity building. I just wrote an article in the Conversation on the possibilities for deliberative technology deployed into the workflow of Congress. We have done some experimentation...and there are many possibilities to build a network of public serving data centers that are both credible and able to be metabolized by Congress. I think this is esp important given the weaponization of much media. Here is the most recent article with lots of good links. And here is a piece I wrote a few months back on how we could imagine a First Branch LLM using AI with the existing archival real estate of US democracy. LK
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Lorelei Kelly
Research Lead, Congressional ModernizationFounder, Georgetown Democracy, Education + Service (GeoDES)
simon fj
Feb 23, 2025, 6:31:10 PMFeb 23
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Hi Stephen,
I thought you may be interested in these companies that are starting to form up around the idea of "profit for purpose".
The main one here in Aussie is humanitix, donating their booking fee profits to charities.
My primary interest is what might/will happen when the practical application of creating competition in various IT markets, and making profits, and then donating the profits to a charity, might better be spent by re-investing profits into the IT company that generates the profits.
That way we end up with more people being involved/employed in a company that is self-sustainable.
One thing I think we can all agree upon. This has very little to do with the technology, although open source would be the ideal approach.
It has everything to do with changing culture, no?
BTW, Thank you for the Journalism Cloud Alliance, Martin,
After 25 years of watching the web develop I knew there had to be something like the JCA.
The one thing I'm interested in now is taking the "profit for purpose" approach to the JCA,. The main change in culture seems to revolve around people like Gemma (sorry Gemma, just sing your role here as the gatekeeper for a group of interest/practice) become Community Managers/Head Editors/ Outreach Coordinators/ Cat Wranglers.
Main thing is that it will take the CSO silos, and from what I see there are tens of thousands, who use (say) 28 languages, to collaborate in teams that manage their cross-silo interest and practice groups. JCA is the terrific step from the old media world into the new. But their groups of practice still want to consider Journalism as a one-way street. Anyone around here heard of a site called Wikipedia?
Enough. Here's one perspective of where the bureaucracies of Europe are up to with their Community Building.
Cheers,
Simon
simon fj
Feb 23, 2025, 6:54:04 PMFeb 23
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