AI for Social Impact
About This Collection
Future of Good’s AI for Social Impact Academy is a year-around online learning platform for social purpose teams and professionals to skillfully use AI to make a bigger difference in their missions. It combines interactive live sessions with expert practitioners, peer-to-peer knowledge sharing, case studies and insightful journalistic coverage of AI in the social purpose world.
Funders are receiving more AI proposals, but not all are well-equipped to assess them
Very few funders are giving grants for AI projects to begin with. Corporate and technology funders are more likely to have the in-house technical talent to evaluate grant applications, while traditional philanthropic foundations might need to call on third-party resources.
How an Egyptian app developer fixed his own speech impediment with AI-powered tech
Experts say the app bridges a significant care gap in the Middle East. There, awareness of speech therapy is limited, and there are few academic programs train new therapists.
Custom LLMs and collaborative datasets: does the aid sector need AI?
While artificial intelligence could make humanitarian aid program delivery more efficient, researchers have also criticized experimenting with new technologies on vulnerable populations.
New documents show how ‘civil society’ contributed to draft AI and privacy legislation
AI use is becoming increasingly ubiquitous, and regulation lags behind. A new Access to Information request shows how Canada’s Artificial Intelligence and Data Act was drafted - a piece of regulation which has now stalled because of prorogation.
Five ways Canadian non-profits used data in innovative ways in 2024
Good data practice can allow the non-profit sector to better exploit the opportunities offered by artificial intelligence and machine learning.
How to break service silos with data: An Edmonton experiment
Data sharing between non-profits is crucial for interoperability. However, often there are large entities involved in these collaborations – such as government, healthcare providers, or police services – who have much more mature data systems and different agendas.
Robust regulatory frameworks needed to safeguard equity as AI systems proliferate
Artificial intelligence offers solutions to some problems while exacerbating others, but transparency and collaboration can provide protection.
How a new foundation wants to help non-profits lead the conversation on responsible AI
Technology companies are not likely to prioritize responsible development and dissemination of artificial intelligence, and government regulation in Canada has been slow to catch up to this fast-paced sector.
New 'Common Impact Data Standard' hopes to become Dewey Decimal System of impact measurement
Whether it’s clashing metrics from grantmakers and organizations or reporting to multiple funders, non-profits often say impact measurement is challenging. Many rely on spreadsheets, while others still use pen-and-paper methods.
Indigenous-led AI modelling gets boost, helps build impactful investments
For Indigenous communities, indicators prioritizing community health and wellbeing need to be baked into decisions about physical infrastructure.
Technical staff and clean data key to being granted money for AI projects, funders say
Few funders focus on technology and artificial intelligence grants. Few technically skilled staff in the non-profit sector can expertly handle data science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence projects.
OP-ED: AI for humanity predictions by AI-powered nonprofits
AI has the potential to change human society and the planet enormously, and some non-profits are at the forefront of this change. See how their predictions could impact your social purpose organization.
Non-profit AI data tool helping cities predict urban heating effects
Applying predictive models and machine learning to a dataset can help municipal governments understand where to direct funding for urban cooling infrastructure. However, developing and maintaining the appropriate digital tools can be challenging.
Federal department in charge of regulating AI should consider “privacy as a fundamental human right,” say experts
AIDA will likely not be coming into force until 2025, but various organizations – including the non-profit sector – have begun implementing AI-based tools and technologies into their work. The sector must be aware of its obligations to the public regarding applications of AI and data privacy legislation.
New framework designed to advocate for responsible AI use among fundraisers. How does it work?
Since ChatGPT launched in November 2022, many non-profit organizations have used it to drive efficiency and innovation. However, non-profits could jeopardize public trust in them without knowing how generative AI affects them, their donors, and their clients.
Is AI your new non-profit coworker? Here are the ways that social purpose organizations are adopting ChatGPT.
It only took five days for ChatGPT to reach a million users. While there are clear benefits to using an AI-enabled tool when it comes to reducing time and resources spent on tasks, there are also some open questions for the social impact world in particular: what are the ethics of using artificial intelligence when working directly with communities?