Why Ai4D?

Like the internet, artificial intelligence (AI) systems are rapidly becoming a new layer of infrastructure with transformative potential. Fuelled by the increasing availability of computational power, improved connectivity, and big data, AI applications offer exciting possibilities for contributing to achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals through spurring new start ups, improving food systems, enabling higher quality education systems and tackling pressing health and climate challenges.

As with any widely adopted technology — especially one as powerful and potentially pervasive as AI — the benefits come with risks that must be managed and mitigated. It can reinforce structural inequalities and bias, perpetuate gender imbalances, threaten jobs, and facilitate oppressive government surveillance. Now is the critical moment to shape AI’s future in the Global South, with decisions and innovations made today influencing whether AI will be used to combat or widen inequalities for decades to come. The policy research and innovations AI4D supports are centred on the concept of responsible AI: the practice of designing, developing and deploying AI systems that are safe, inclusive, rights-based and sustainable.

To contribute to these efforts, Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and Sweden’s government agency for development cooperation (Sida) launched the Artificial Intelligence for Development in Africa (AI4D Africa) program in 2020. In 2024, IDRC partnered with UK International Development to launch the global Artificial Intelligence for Development program (AI4D), a 5-year, $100-million CAD partnership that expands, coordinates, and builds on AI4D Africa. This second phase of the AI4D program runs until 2029 and will continue direct funding towards two critical outcomes that will be needed to shape AI as a force for good:

• Global, regional, national responsible AI policies and regulations are enacted to stimulate AI that is safe, inclusive, ethical, rights-based, sustainable, reflective of local perspectives, and which minimize potential harms from AI (such as human rights violations and increased social and gender inequalities).
• Responsible AI innovations that have been shown to address key development challenges in Africa (in the areas of gender, health, education, environment, etc.) are appropriately scaled.

Part and parcel of these activities will be supporting the development of foundational capacity, including local AI leadership that can advocate for the responsible applications of AI.