Meet the Responsible AI Fellows working to maximize the benefits and mitigate the risks of AI around the world

Today, more than 700 million people around the world lack access to reliable electricity and 2.6 billion lack access to the Internet. To promote inclusive progress and ensure that the benefits of AI are accessible to all, we first need to narrow these persistent divides and create opportunities for inclusive AI innovation.

We also need to bring a greater diversity of voices to the table. We know that AI systems designed and developed to work in one part of the world may behave in different and unexpected ways elsewhere. Global stakeholders must be included in the development and deployment processes for AI as well as the regulatory process in order to account for each country’s unique social, economic, and cultural contexts.

To help advance this process, Microsoft launched the Global Perspectives: Responsible AI fellowship with the Strategic Foresight Hub at the The Stimson Center in 2023. Our first class of fellows, which hailed from 14 different countries across the Global South, participated in virtual dialogues to exchange responsible AI best practices and share the work they’re doing to maximize the benefits and mitigate the risks of AI around the world.

You can read the stories of three of our fellows below.

Crafting AI regulation to fuel Kyrgyzstan’s ongoing digital transformation 

In recent years, Kyrgyzstan has undergone a digital transformation. Internet access is on the rise, and today, 85% of Kyrgyzstan’s government services are available via mobile app. After helping usher in this digital transition, Aziz Soltobaev is working to build a regulatory framework for AI that protects the rights and values of Kyrgyzstan’s citizens.

In the Kyrgyz Republic, citizens will soon have access to an AI-powered voice recognition system that provides IT help in local Kyrgyz languages. Aziz also sees potential for AI to improve the efficiency of administrative processes throughout the country, run healthcare diagnostics in rural areas, and help farmers solve agriculture-related challenges.

To realize this potential, Aziz is working to incorporate lessons Kyrgyzstan has learned from importing other advanced technologies into the regulation of AI. This includes engaging varied stakeholders, forming strategic partnerships with international development organizations, and ensuring that AI deployment aligns with local values and laws.

Empowering Latin American MBA students to become responsible AI entrepreneurs

Cristina Martínez Pinto co-founded Mexico’s national AI coalition to help advance people-centered technological development in Latin America. In response to burgeoning AI innovation in Latin America and increasing interest in AI among MBA students, Cristina is helping leaders in education equip Latin American business students with the tools they need to be at the forefront of responsible AI innovation.

Cristina’s work also seeks to address the gender divide in tech entrepreneurship. While the number of AI startups in Latin America doubled from 2018 to 2020, 92% of these companies were founded by men, and only 15% of employees were women. Ensuring that the people who design, develop, and deploy AI systems are as diverse as the societies in which they operate is vital to building equitable, responsible AI.

Developing an AI regulatory framework to boost Nigeria’s economy and protect its citizens

Akintunde Agunbiade is a lawyer and researcher who’s endeavoring to broaden Nigeria’s laws around importing cutting-edge technology. When Nigeria imports foreign technology, its laws require that businesses use this technology to build capacity and innovate locally.

Akintunde is working to ensure that these laws and the country’s data privacy laws account for the complexities and nuances of AI. Akintunde’s work is helping to bring Nigerian law up to speed with the pace of rapidly evolving technology, while accounting for the specific needs of Nigeria’s government and its citizens.

AI has the potential to either narrow or widen existing social and economic divides. Managing AI deliberately will help ensure that we maximize its potential benefits for the good of everyone.

We’re endlessly grateful to learn from the incredible work of our first class of fellows, whose expertise and insight helped inform our approach to our AI Blueprint for India and our contributions to broader discussions around AI policy. We look forward to continuing to collaborate with these fellows to advance AI responsibly around the world.

To read about our other fellows, as well as to read more about the fellowship from Microsoft’s Chief Responsible AI Officer Natasha Crampton and Stimson Center President & CEO Brian Finlay, you can visit Microsoft’s Unlocked.

If you missed our last two issues of Spotlight on AI, covering our AI for Good Lab and our first inaugural transparency report, you can catch up here.