IDB Statement
The innovation laboratory of the Inter-American Development Bank, IDB Lab, within the framework of
the fAIr LAC initiative, has launched the open innovation challenge, “Gender and Artificial Intelligence”, to
identify, pilot, and accelerate technological solutions based on artificial intelligence (AI) that contribute to
reducing bias and discrimination based on sex and gender.
We are looking to promote the full incorporation of women in the economy and society, especially those
from vulnerable and marginalized communities. The call also aims to stimulate the innovation and
entrepreneurship ecosystems of Latin America and the Caribbean and to promote the use of the 3S
ethical self-assessment tool, designed by fAIr LAC to generate greater awareness, knowledge, and skills
about reliable, bias-free, and socially responsible AI.
This challenge is aimed at startups with ready-to-implement models, small and medium-sized companies,
civil society organizations, social enterprises, corporations, research centers, academic institutions, and
entities with specialization and knowledge in artificial intelligence, among other actors. Proposed solutions
should be novel, innovative in nature, and should be based on the development of AI as a means to
reduce gaps, biases, and discrimination based on sex and gender. They should also promote social and
economic inclusion of groups in poverty or vulnerable conditions in Latin America and the Caribbean, and
be focused on one of the following areas:
Health and Social Welfare: Proposals should improve women’s access to health and/or enhance the
development of new applications against gender-based violence, hate speech, and algorithmic gender
bias in the detection of disease, depression, or mental health.
Education Talent and Employment: Proposals should enhance the participation of women in STEM
(science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) areas, promote female employment and talent,
and/or define unbiased personnel selection models.
Financial Inclusion: Proposals should use AI to identify barriers to women’s participation in the financial
sphere and/or promote services that contribute to reducing the gender gap in the economic sphere.
Other Areas: Proposals may be submitted in the fields of agriculture and natural resources, essential
infrastructure services, or climate change – all areas of action prioritized by IDB Lab.
The Challenge establishes two categories of participation, depending on where the legal registration of
the participating initiative is located, which will allow obtaining financial support or honorable mention and
the possibility of being included in IDB Lab’s network of global innovators to develop opportunities for
knowledge exchange and disseminate the innovative solution.
This challenge will be open until August 31, 2022. The selected proposals will be announced during the
month of November 2022.
The Gender and Artificial Intelligence challenge was made possible with the collaboration of Accenture,
Amazon Web Services, Globant, Microsoft, NTT DATA FOUNDATION, Oracle, Red Hat, and SONDA.
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