AI for Global Development Organisations

Duration:
05/09–06/09/2024

Teaching format:
Classroom

Course objective:
New data sources and AI offer global development organisations the opportunity to work more effectively towards the Agenda 2030. For example, natural language processing can help with project design and new large-scale data sets can help better target or monitor projects. Moreover, generative AI in agriculture could help farmers optimise yields, AI-driven healthcare solutions could support doctors to better diagnose diseases in underserved communities, and AI-supported Ed-tech could help children learn better. Despite its positive development potential, new ethical concerns are emerging, such as data privacy and algorithmic bias. In addition, AI could widen the global digital divide and global economic inequalities. This introductory two-day course provides a general overview of the potential and challenges of AI for organisations aiming to contribute to sustainable and equitable development. The course aims to inspire participants by discussing with a diversity of experts in this rapidly evolving field and to provide participants with a first understanding how to promote AI’s positive potential while protecting those most at risk of being negatively impacted by its use.

Key topics:

• History and terminology of AI
• Natural language processing (NLP) for project management
  
• New data sources for sustainable and equitable development
• Machine learning for monitoring and targeting of projects
• Opportunities and challenges of AI for low-income countries
• Data ethics and privacy
• AI surveillance, AI misinformation and biases of algorithms

ECTS points:
1

Examination:
Assignment completed before and during the course.

Course fee:
CHF 570

Lecturers:
Prof. Isabel Günther, NADEL
Dr. Kenneth Harttgen, NADEL
Max Morel, NADEL
Dr. Mirko Bischofsberger, EPFL
Prof. Jan Wegner, University Zürich
Dr. George Boateng, ETH and Founder Kwame AI
Alessia Evi, Swisscontact

Registration starts 15 May 2024