Responsible, ethical use of AI
Artificial Intelligence is gaining relevance globally and may become a pivotal building block in the digital transformation of social protection systems. It offers new opportunities to innovate and build more inclusive and efficient social protection systems for safeguarding vulnerable populations against a backdrop of rising crises. However, it requires careful planning, high quality data, and supervision to avoid shortfalls and undesirable outcomes regarding human rights and equality.
The AI Hub contributes to DCI’s mission of digital transformation in social protection by supporting responsible, innovative and sovereign AI adoption for more efficient and inclusive social protection systems.
With the rapid advancements in AI, countries are struggling to navigate the challenges. A lack of robust governance frameworks and technical expertise can undermine the responsible and human-centric implementation of future-fit social protection systems. To be able to reap the benefits of AI, uphold human rights and enhance services for all, those implementing social protection systems need to be equipped with the necessary skills and safeguards.
The AI Hub for social protection
The AI Hub assists institutions in developing capacities to govern, design, and implement AI, enabling them to navigate benefits and risks responsibly, innovatively, and sovereignly which are the three principles adopted by the AI Hub to guide the use of AI to enhance social protection systems.
Responsible
Safeguarding and strengthening human rights by leveraging responsible and ethical AI approaches and concepts for social protection to guide all activities.
Innovative
Creating a space for innovation with social protection actors across sectors and disciplines to seize AI benefits.
Sovereign
Promoting the digital sovereignty of partner countries as the backbone for social protection institutions to stay in control when using AI according to their own terms, both political and technical.
How we work
The AI Hub aims to enable the use of AI for social protection in a responsible way, serving social and environmental wellbeing.
It explores the role of AI for enhancing social protection systems contributing to the four action areas of DCI: —knowledge creation, developing digital public goods (DPGs) and standards, country support and capacity development.
- Knowledge – creating and sharing knowledge around AI in social protection fostered through a sector-wide, global expert network for peer-to-peer learning.
- Digital public goods (DPGs) and standards – developing standards, guidelines, and open-source software for AI-driven solutions in social protection, including sharing these AI DPGs via a digital platform.
- Country support – providing policy and technical advisory services through global experts to promote responsible AI adoption for more efficient and inclusive social protection systems.
- Capacity building – creating materials and trainings for promoting AI and data literacy tailored to the social protection context.
Country support: advisory services
The AI Hub provides a global expert help desk for innovating AI approaches, scoping and implementing solutions, as well as testing algorithms in social protection. Experts from various institutional backgrounds offer technical consulting services around AI to practitioners in social protection organisations to strengthen institutional capacities and to facilitate technology access for more inclusive, equitable and efficient social protection systems, while addressing different cultural contexts and policy objectives.
Advisory services include:
- Needs assessment and scoping of AI use cases
- Design and implementation of AI-driven solutions
- Governance and regulation
- AI ethics
- Anti-discrimination and gender
- Technology and infrastructure
- AI models and bias
- Data management and governance
- Sustainability of AI
- Testing of algorithms (robustness, fairness)
Learn more about our advisory services.
Governance and partners
The AI Hub for Social Protection is a joint effort of GIZ and partners under the umbrella of the DCI. Starting this endeavour with currently six core implementing partners, we are seeking to expand this network. Interested in becoming a partner? Please contact us at contact@spdci.org.
The AI Hub is implemented by:
Top photo © GIZ / Florian Kopp
