We believe it is necessary to contemplate new systems and new structures for the times ahead.
Feminist AI
Pro-social AI, designed with inclusion at the core, creating new opportunities & innovative correction of inequities. Feminist AI focuses on bringing social programs in line with 21st century research and values, dedicated to finding ways to make AI and emerging technologies gender-responsive, transformational, and more effective, not merely more ‘efficient’ or ‘accurate’ as each country in the globe races to digitize their social systems.
Pilot Phase
In 2020, with the support of IDRC, the <A+> Alliance launched f<a+i>r, the Feminist AI Research network which gathered a global cohort of eminent data, machine learning and computer scientists side by side with social scientists, economists, and activists to discuss how to fix AI systems to bring social programs and policies fit for the 21st century. Its aim to support the skill and imagination of Global South feminists to create effective, innovative, interdisciplinary models to harness emerging technologies to correct for real life bias and barriers to women’s rights, representation and equality.
Phase One
With longer term support of IDRC (2021-2024), the <A+> Alliance led by Women at the Table with new partner Tecnológico de Costa Rica, and Regional Hub partners in Asia (Chulalongkorn University/Bangkok), Latin America & the Caribbean (Tecnológico de Monterrey/México City) and Middle East & North Africa (Jordan Open Source Association/Amman) launched incubating Feminist AI: from Paper to Prototype to Pilot a call to create new algorithmic and social science models with policy that bring together divergent and siloed disciplines to collaborate on core public policy agendas in the Global South, including but going beyond solutions focussed primarily on gender based violence.
f<a+i>r is meant to springboard from describing the well-established ‘what’ potential harms in algorithms and machine learning exist, to ‘how’ to course correct future harms, and urgently ‘how’ new data, algorithms, models, policies + systems can be researched, then prototyped, and piloted for gender transformative change.
Methodology
Incubating, socialising, building & networking Feminist AI
Building New Models: Research funding and mentorship over the 2021-2024 period will propel new feminist AI with 27 research papers funneling to 9 prototypes then 3 pilots. Each research cohort meets bi-weekly to share and build South-South knowledge. Each cycle has 2 specific Methodology & Evaluation papers.
Network Hubs: f<a+i>r uses a combination of public and private bi-monthly regional Hub meetings, and bi-monthly Global meetings (in collaboration with sister network AI4D Gender & Inclusion Network Africa, funded by IDRC/SIDA) to foster network building, South-South knowledge and extend and deepen boundary partnerships.
Promoting Feminist AI: <A+> has built an online Global Directory to highlight and promote feminist AI doers and thinkers from the primarily Global South f< a+i >r network and their innovations.
