UNESCO has joined forces with VivaTech, Europe’s largest start up and tech event, to host a startup challenge on AI for human rights. Startups were asked for their solutions on how to harness AI to tackle challenges related to biodiversity, gender equality and language barriers. Selected finalists reflect UNESCO’s commitment to ensuring access to information and harnessing new technologies to improve people's lives and tackle sustainable development challenges.
Earlier this year, UNESCO and VivaTech launched a call for AI-based solutions that benefit people and the planet. In three challenges startups were asked to share their ideas on how to use technology to address challenges related to biodiversity, gender bias, and cracking language barriers.
Based on the selection of the final projects below, a pitch event will occur in person at Viva Tech on 16 June. Nine selected startups will present their ideas at a pitch event at Viva Tech. One finalist per challenge will be awarded the winning position, with a trophy from Viva Tech.
The judges for the pitch event are:
- Marielza Oliveira, Director for Partnerships and Operational Programme Monitoring Communications and Information Sector, UNESCO
- Jamil Seftaoui, Director, Gender Equality, Cabinet of the Director-General, UNESCO
- Jean Michel Jarre, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador
- Damien Gromier, CEO and co-founder, StartUp Inside, UNESCO AI For the Planet partner
- Vincent Viollain, Head of Partnerships, Viva Tech
The challenges and the selected finalists are:
Challenge 1: Conserving our Biodiversity. Harnessing AI to preserve our Planet
To accelerate the transition towards living in harmony with nature, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals and the long-term goals of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework, digital technologies and AI must be harnessed to address the nature and biodiversity crisis. UNESCO is looking for innovative solutions to help manage ecosystems, restore natural habitats, and monitor biodiversity – to help us preserve our planet, and the health of its people.
Finalists
The finalists are:
- KLASS specializes in automated recognition of biodiversity. AI-powered tools, large curated datasets, and data dashboards for labs and biodiversity-dependent businesses for real-time wildlife monitoring;
- Breeze deploys its own low-cost air quality sensors that detect all common air pollutants;.
- Seabex a platform with a data-driven irrigation decision support system
Challenge 2: Gender bias and discrimination. Reducing the gender digital divide by exposing bias in AI
There's an urgent need for more women to participate in and lead the design, development, and deployment of AI systems. Evidence shows that by 2022, 85% of AI projects will deliver erroneous outcomes due to bias if AI as a technology and as a sector is not more inclusive and diverse. UNESCO is looking for innovative gamified solutions to educate and inform women and men on the gender bias in AI systems with the goal to raise awareness on the gender digital divide.
Finalists
The finalists are:
- Syntho Software, developing a software for reducing 'algorithmic biases’ and discrimination, by supplementing shortages of training data (whereby certain groups of people are underrepresented), and by correcting colored data from the past (whereby certain groups of people are negatively under- or overexposed) through the generation of ‘fair’ synthetic data;
- Namsor, building a new service to evaluate gender bias risks in external algorithms;.
- MellyDemelo, developing a chatbot for interaction after maternity leave
Challenge 3: Cracking the Language Barrier through Data and AI. Strengthening access to information in low resource languages
Languages, with their complex implications for identity, cultural diversity, communication, social integration, and more, are of crucial importance for people, prosperity and the planet. UNESCO is looking for Language Technology-based solutions that contribute to the promotion of linguistic diversity and multilingualism.
Finalists
The finalists are:
- MarthaEdu uses augmented reality, AI and mobile technologies to boost literacy among deaf Communities in the Arab region;
- Lanfrica works to create an online, open-source database system for easy, at-a-glance access to existing Natural Language Processing research involving African languages, and implements a participatory, community-led approach to populating the database with existing research involving African languages;
- Kili Technology enables the creation of quality training datasets from rare languages that can be processed by AI-based translation models. Once the text or voice is translated, the platform enables to improve the quality of the data by cleaning up and clarifying the translated language.
More about the Partners:
VivaTech is Europe's biggest startup and tech event. Co-organized by Publicis Groupe and Groupe Les Echos and dedicated to the growth of startups, digital transformation, and innovation.