The challenge received 66 AI-based solutions to reduce gender discrimination, and 11 were selected
The Inter-American Development Bank's innovation lab, IDB Lab, has selected 11 solutions from Latin America that use artificial intelligence to help reduce bias and discrimination based on sex or gender.
These projects were submitted to the regional call for proposals for open innovation on gender and artificial intelligence launched by IDB Lab within the framework of its fAIr LAC initiative to address gender inequality gaps in Latin America and the Caribbean in the areas of financial inclusion, health, and well-being, and education and employment.
The call, which was supported by Accenture, AWS, Globant, Google for Startups, Microsoft, NTT Data Foundation, Oracle, Red Hat, and SONDA, received a total of 66 proposals. Fifty-four sector experts evaluated the solutions in artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship, business, and social impact. In addition, they pre-selected 24 organizations to participate in a bootcamp with specialized content on artificial intelligence and ethics, bias, access to responsible financing, and technical considerations to incorporate diversity and inclusion approaches in technological development.
The participants also had access to individualized mentoring and presented their projects in a Demo Day where the final evaluation and selection were made.
The 11 selected proposals are:
- Genomawork (Chile): Solutions to promote diversity and labor inclusion in Latin America.
- hiSofi (Brazil): Financial health portal.
- Jobecam (Brazil): Automated platform to optimize hiring.
- Ethics (Mexico/Spain): Algorithmic audits to ensure data ethics.
- Quipu Market (Colombia): Digital bank for the informal economy.
- C-Minds (Mexico): Solutions to improve the care economy.
- Tirando por Colombia (Colombia): Solutions for preventing teenage pregnancy.
- Quantil (Colombia): Solution for developing AI models.
- Thermy (Mexico): Medical device for image analysis.
- Munay (Bolivia): Solutions for the financial inclusion of women entrepreneurs.
- Bancolombia (Colombia): Financial education solutions for women.
In accordance with the Gender and Artificial Intelligence Challenge Guidelines, the selected proposals will initiate an eligibility and due diligence analysis process to potentially receive the financing that will allow them to implement their solution in one of the IDB's 26 borrowing countries.
IDB Lab is the innovation laboratory of the Inter-American Development Bank Group, the primary source of financing and knowledge for development focused on improving lives in Latin America and the Caribbean. IDB Lab aims to promote innovation for inclusion in the region, mobilizing financing, knowledge, and connections to test early-stage private sector solutions with the potential to transform the lives of vulnerable populations through economic, social, and environmental conditions. Since 1993, IDB Lab has approved more than $2 billion in projects deployed in 26 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. www.bidlab.org
About fAIrLAC
fAIr LAC is an alliance between the public and private sectors, civil society, and academia to promote the responsible and ethical use of artificial intelligence in Latin America and the Caribbean to improve the delivery of social services, thereby attenuating growing inequality. https://fairlac.iadb.org/en
Manzano Guillen, Maria De Gador
