Deadline: March 20, 2022

About the Project:

Many AI products and applications used around the world are still produced by teams that are not very diverse. As a result, AI applications at best do not meet the needs of users and at worst harm marginalised groups. Moreover, the (digital) divide between South and North is widening because most of the data sets for machine learning come from the Global North.

Aims of the project

The project aims to expand the discourse on artificial intelligence to include relevant voices that are indispensable for the development of AI oriented towards the common good. It aims to question the status quo, provide competences for action and thus show new ways for a sustainable development of AI applications. In doing so, it focuses on the following specific goals:  

• Decentralisation of the AI discourse: The project aims to empower coders from the Global South and to embed their interests in the development of AI applications and in the debates around AI (e.g. at conferences). Within the framework of the project, the coders learn how products can be better aligned with the cultural realities, needs and interests of the Global South.   
• Raising awareness of inclusion issues: The participation of people with disabilities, people of color, queer people, structurally disadvantaged people, people from different social classes, and older people in the creation and use of AI applications is important to us, and their perspectives should be included.
• International and interdisciplinary exchange: The participating developers enter into a dialog with each other and with various other professional groups. The goal is to create a global community that raises awareness of the need to integrate multiple perspectives into the creation of AI applications.
• Prototype design: Diverse teams design ideas for AI applications. Two projects selected by a jury are developed into prototypes.
   

Requirements:

Are you involved with products or applications that use artificial intelligence? Are you interested in ethical issues and in making products and applications more inclusive and sustainable? Do you like working in international interdisciplinary teams and enjoy changing perspectives? Then apply for our two-month online Fellowship Programme “AI to Amplify”, consisting of seminars, networking events and workshops, starting in May 2023. The programme is free of charge. There is no age limit, applications can be submitted by persons from 18 years of age. We welcome applications from coders and developers from the Global North and Global South, but also from philosophers, artists, sociologists, lawyers and activists. We aim for a good mix of teams, which means we explicitly encourage women, queer people, people with disabilities, people without a degree and people with diverse professional backgrounds to apply. 

A jury will select 80 (eighty) participants from all applications. From these we will put together as diverse teams as possible. Due to the different time zones, we will probably work in two groups of 40 people each. The online sessions during the Fellowship Programme are currently planned to take place about twice a week for 2 hours each. You will be informed at the end of March whether your application was successful. Further organisational details will be announced then as well. 

Why should you participate?

• The training programme is tailored to the needs of the participants and is free of charge.  
• It offers you the chance to meet other social activists, to gain new perspectives and to network internationally. 
• You can contribute your own ideas and perspectives to the development of community-oriented products and applications and develop them further in the team. This will give your ideas and perspectives high visibility. 
• Six winning teams will receive seed money to further develop their prototypes and present them at a conference in the Global North. They thus become part of a worldwide movement/community. 
• After a second selection process, two winning teams will receive seed money of € 10,000 for the further realisation of the product idea or prototype.

Timetable

Until 20.3.2023:
Call for applications for coders and developers from the Global North and the Global South in cooperation with local coding initiatives. Applications from philosophers, artists, sociologists, lawyers and civil society actors are also welcome.

May 2023:
Start of the two-month online Fellowship Programme, consisting of seminars, networking events and workshops. The focus is on the exchange between the participants and the sensitization for questions of ethics and inclusion through the invitation of international speakers who illuminate the topic of artificial intelligence from different perspectives. The participants should inform each other about local needs and identify a relevant topic in their project location.

July 2023:
Two-week hackathon in which ideas for AI applications are developed in diverse teams. Selection of six ideas/teams for further development.

August or September 2023:
Invitation of the six teams to a physical meeting in connection with an AI conference in the Global South to network with each other, sharpen the product idea, deal with the local conditions and participate in the conference.

Further development phase to expand the idea within the six teams, supported by a stipend and regular online coaching. Pitching of product ideas at the end of the development phase and selection of two proposals for further funding. Presentation of these products and/or the project at a conference in the Global North.