Hosted by the Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Delhi, in partnership with Responsible AI UK and Technovation, the event taught girls to solve real world problems through AI.
DELHI, INDIA, 27 September 2024 — In collaboration with Technovation, we hosted the 2024 Builders of Better AI: Responsible AI Hackathon at IIIT Delhi. The event brought together 60 schoolgirls from across India, offering them hands-on experience in AI and responsible innovation. This hackathon marked the inaugural event of a strategic collaboration between RAi UK and Technovation’s AI Forward Alliance (TAIFA), a global alliance working at the intersection of AI and gender on a global scale — to reach and empower 25 million girls through AI, coding, and entrepreneurship educational programming. India was chosen as the inaugural location due to its significance in advancing the alliance’s goals.
“Sixty girls created 10 AI-powered solutions, tackling critical issues like girls’ safety, gender equality, and sustainable agriculture,” said Tara Chklovski, CEO and Founder, Technovation. “Imagine the impact if we empowered even more girls with AI skills. As our ‘Women in AI’ report highlights, in India, where only 33% of women are in the workforce and just 24% are in tech , this is a game-changer. Women are often employed in service sector jobs, earning just half the salary of software engineers. If we invest in AI education for girls, we can unlock India’s economic potential and drive gender equality.”
At the event, participants heard from Prof Pragya Kosta from IIIT who talked about the importance of increasing the percentage of women in the Indian technology workforce.
Neeraj Sharma, Principal Software Engineering Manager at Microsoft and Technovation Chapter Ambassador introduced the group to machine learning, neural networks and Generative AI. Prof. Elvira Perez Vallejos from RAI UK introduced the Responsible Research and Innovation Framework and cards, helping the girls think about how to develop caring technologies for humans that took into account unintended consequences.
Mentors from EY, Shopify and Google supported the girls through an activity to identify a problem in their community and to develop an AI-based solution. The girls had a chance to use the Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) Prompts and Practice Cards [ RAi RRI tool kit] developed by researchers at UKRI TAS program at The University of Nottingham, UK. The RRI cards provide a useful tool to anticipate ethical issues and reflect on best practices. At the end of the event, they presented their solutions to the whole group.
“Empowering young women in India to engage with technology and explore how AI can benefit their communities is crucial,” said Professor Elvira Perez Vallejos, Chair Equities Pillar- RAiUK. “By addressing existing inequalities and minimizing potential harms, they can play an active role in shaping the AI revolution. Historically, women have been underrepresented in these discussions, but initiatives like this are helping to build the confidence needed for them to participate fully in conversations around technology and innovation.”
“Through this partnership with TAIFA, we aim to empower young women to not only participate in the AI conversation but to redefine it—challenging biases, building technology, and ensuring AI truly benefits every community it touches. RAi UK not only delivers world class research but also translates the latest research results into real-world outcomes that accelerate productivity and growth across the world. The partnership will amplify our impact and ensure our work improves the livelihoods of everyone, and particularly those at the margins of society. ” – Professor Gopal Ramchurn, CEO, RAi UK.
“By inspiring school girls to pursue engineering, we can cultivate a more inclusive and diverse tech ecosystem which is crucial for developing inclusive AI solutions for a more equitable and sustainable future.” said Ranjan Bose, Director, IIITD.
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About Responsible AI UK (RAi UK)
With a £35 million UKRI investment, RAi UK is a program dedicated to delivering interdisciplinary research and fostering an international ecosystem for Responsible AI research and innovation. Through extensive consultations across the UK, RAi UK has identified emerging challenges in responsible AI and has deployed over £17 million into projects aimed at accelerating the adoption of responsible AI practices and technologies. RAi UK brings research-based expertise that is connective, adaptive, and world-leading through field-building, and engagement with communities, publics, industries, and governments. For more information or to get involved, please visit rai.ac.uk .
About Technovation
Technovation is a global tech education nonprofit that empowers girls to become more confident leaders, creators and problem-solvers. Technovation offers engaging, student-centered learning programs in which girls ages 8-18 learn how to create AI and app-based technologies to solve real-world problems. Technovation is supported by Google, EY, TE Connectivity, Shopify, ServiceNow, eBay, AT&T, Factset, Vian.AI, Best Buy, TEKsystems, SAP, Oracle, Spectris, Synopsys and Vodafone to reach girls in more than 100 countries. To learn more, visit technovation.org
Technovation is at the forefront of tech education innovation, leading TAIFA , a collaborative alliance with the goal of creating a generation of female leaders prepared to tackle global challenges using AI and a unique skill set.
About IIIT Delhi
IIIT-Delhi is a comprehensive research-led teaching Institute where faculty, students, staff, and alumni work together in a spirit of discovery and creativity to build a better world. The Institute, set up by an Act of Govt. of NCT of Delhi (GNCTD), awards B.Tech., M.Tech., and Doctoral degrees. It emphasizes quality education, curiosity-led research, and innovation leading to entrepreneurship. The teaching activities at the Institute derive strength from the cutting-edge research conducted by faculty, strong industry linkages, and international collaborations.
IIIT-Delhi has six academic departments – Computer Science and Engineering, Electronics and Communications Engineering, Computational Biology, Human-Centered Design, Mathematics, and Social Sciences & Humanities. Its research centres include the Infosys Centre for Artificial Intelligence, Centre for Design and New Media, Centre of Technology in Policing, Centre of Excellence on Sustainable Mobility, Centre of Excellence in Healthcare, Centre of Excellence on Light Fidelity, Datakart Centre of Excellence, Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Human-Centered Computing, Centre for Intelligent Product Development, and Center for Quantum Technologies.
The IIITD-Incubation Centre on campus is instrumental in driving the growth of entrepreneurial activities. IIIT-Delhi has also set up a Technology Innovation Hub called iHub Anubhuti under the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems. There is also an Electropreneur Park focused on electronics startups.
IIIT-Delhi is committed to playing a leadership role by creating new knowledge, defining the future of higher education, preparing leaders for tomorrow, and making a tangible impact for the betterment of society.
More details can be found at iiitd.ac.in.
Media Contact:
Kavita Mittal
Communications Manager – RAi UK
K.Mittal@soton.ac.uk