20 Dec 2024 CDAC Network reflects on AI ethics, communication with disaster-affected communities

AI ethics and the relevance of the alliance to strengthen communication with disaster-affected communities were in focus when the CDAC Network met in early December in Nairobi, Kenya, for its annual general assembly and a public forum. WACC, a CDAC member, helped plan both events. Program manager Sarah Macharia reflects.

The CDAC public forum “Data, power and participation: towards the ethical adoption of tech” on 2 December aimed to explore the integration of technology, data, and artificial intelligence in humanitarian action.

In the end, the focus shifted more broadly to AI as a tool to accelerate social justice – but with risks and limitations that development researchers and workers should be wary of.

The forum began with a talk by Nyalleng Moorosi, a researcher and software engineer from Lesotho, on what technology looks like when we build for ourselves.

She demonstrated the astounding capabilities of AI with a project that used the technology and geospatial data to map distances between healthcare facilities and different types of neighborhoods in Cape Town.

Moorosi underlined that not every problem merits an AI solution due to the expenses involved as well as the possibility that using technology would aggravate the issue.

She proposed a formula for deciding whether to adopt AI tools: the problem to be solved is large scale, it can be modelled mathematically, and there are subject matter experts on hand.

The forum showed that we can embrace the opportunities AI presents for deep analysis of development and social justice challenges while at the same time remaining cautious that it is not a panacea for all issues.

At the annual general assembly the following day, CDAC members re-articulated in plain language the network’s current strategic plan at its mid-way point, with more tangible, visible priorities and reasonable adaptations over big changes.

The assembly committed to

• deepening approaches that keep communities at the centre of dialogue and interventions that impact their lives
• championing a relevant and resourced policy and practice leadership space that recognises the new challenges to the information environment
• prioritising diverse inclusion in rapidly emerging technical discussions on mitigating harms in the information environment, AI, and other technology

Members agreed that CDAC is still very relevant in a rapidly changing, dynamic and challenging world. The network makes it possible for disaster-affected communities to have a seat at decision-making tables and a say in policy decisions that impact them.

Moving forward, CDAC needs to keep attention on embedding good practice, to widen its focus to support the accelerating pace of change, and to work in bolder ways with actors and communities to drive innovative action.

Illustration created by CDAC using Adobe’s AI image generator