With the swift advancement of functionalities in machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI), leveraging these innovations within the humanitarian sector holds the promise of tackling intricate humanitarian and development issues.

With the swift advancement of functionalities in machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI), leveraging these innovations within the humanitarian sector holds the promise of tackling intricate humanitarian and development issues. Nevertheless, in the absence of deliberate initiatives, this very technology may evolve into a tool that perpetuates inequities and inflicts harm, especially from a gender perspective.

The purpose of this toolkit is to educate humanitarian and development practitioners on the best practices for achieving gender equitable AI and ML solutions. By doing so, the toolkit empowers nonprofit organizations to approach the implementation of innovative technologies through an ethical framework – centered on gender – that fosters a positive impact for those in need.

The Gender Equitable AI Toolkit is a resource funded by NetHope’s Collective Action Fund. The development of this toolkit was coordinated by community leaders from NetHope’s AI Workstream. Research commenced in late 2021 and incorporated insights from over 30 consultations with representatives from the NetHope Member and Partner ecosystem. Consequently, this research encapsulates a compilation of best practices and resources from a wide range of subject matter experts.

Who is this course for?

This toolkit aims to equip readers with principles and actionable measures to integrate gender equity within the AI/ML development lifecycle. It features an introduction to AI/ML ethics and a comprehensive overview of the development lifecycle associated with an AI/ML solution. Thus, the primary and secondary audiences are delineated as follows:

Primary: non-technical personnel (i.e., country and program directors)

Secondary: technical personnel (i.e., analytics, MEAL, or IT)

The content of the toolkit is crafted as an entry point for humanitarian and development professionals aspiring to implement AI and ML solutions in a gender equitable manner. The knowledge acquired here can be merged with existing technical skills from various organizations, thereby empowering nonprofit professionals to make significant contributions to equitable advancements.

How can I begin?

Click on "I agree - join course" to gain access to the toolkit. This toolkit is designed to enhance and refine existing AI solutions for humanitarian and development services. It consists of two components that work together to develop capability.

These components collectively aim to establish AI/ML capabilities for practitioners who might otherwise rely solely on technical expertise from external sources. The toolkit provides practical advice on the complete lifecycle of implementing gender equitable AI solutions. It covers various topics including problem statement identification, data collection and preprocessing, algorithmic design, model evaluation, user engagement, and ongoing learning and enhancement.

How much time should I allocate for this?

The toolkit is self-paced, allowing learners to access and utilize the resources according to their preferences.

What is the cost?

It is free.

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