Artificial intelligence is often discussed in relation to productivity and employment, but an earlier initiative from the Norwegian Refugee Council, Microsoft, NetHope and University College Dublin shows how the technology can also be used to improve access to education.
The partners developed Hakeem, an AI-powered chatbot designed to help young refugees find suitable learning opportunities when access to schools or universities has been disrupted by conflict or displacement. The initiative was developed and tested with young refugees in Lebanon.
A personal guide to learning opportunities
Hakeem was designed to use technologies including language recognition, machine translation and natural-language understanding to connect young people with relevant educational resources available online.
Depending on their interests and needs, learners could be directed towards subjects such as languages, coding, entrepreneurship and marketing.
An important part of the approach was the involvement of young refugees themselves in developing and testing the chatbot. Rather than designing a technology solution for young people without their input, the project recognised that they were best placed to explain the barriers they faced.
AI with a social purpose
For VALUES, Hakeem provides a useful example of how AI can be applied to a real social challenge.
It demonstrates that responsible AI is not only about managing risks. It is also about asking how technology can be designed and used to increase access, support inclusion and respond to the needs of people who may otherwise be left behind.
The initiative also highlights the importance of collaboration. Humanitarian organisations brought knowledge of the needs of displaced young people, while technology and education partners contributed the expertise needed to develop the digital solution.
As AI becomes more widely used, examples such as Hakeem can help young people consider a broader question: how can we use AI not simply because the technology is available, but to create meaningful social value?
Further reading: Microsoft originally published AI-powered chatbot will help educate refugee youths in October 2018: https://news.microsoft.com/europe/2018/10/17/ai-powered-chatbot-will-help-educate-refugee-youths/