As our community grows, so does the richness of the ideas, questions, and experiences shared across our network. We’re proud to offer spaces where this thinking can be recorded and amplified.
Community Publication #4 presents another collection of thoughtful pieces from participants of our 2025 AI & Equality Summer School.
Foreword
by Mohinder Watson
“The rapid rise of generative artificial intelligence (AI), particularly following the release of ChatGPT, has intensified global discussions about how AI development should be governed. As these tools become increasingly embedded in daily life—reshaping education, healthcare, employment, and even offering potential solutions to climate change and other sustainable development goals—the urgency for a globally accepted and inclusive regulatory framework has never been greater. For women’s rights advocates and global citizens alike, understanding AI’s development and its wider societal impacts is essential.
Throughout the course, I was encouraged by how often my own experience in social sciences and human rights advocacy aligned with the course material and seeing the parallels between these participatory methods and AI development helped me appreciate that despite the technical nature of AI, many of the values underpinning inclusive, rights-based development remain applicable. I discovered that individuals from non-technical disciplines have valuable insights to contribute to multi-disciplinary teams working on AI. Understanding the human and societal implications of AI is as critical as understanding the underlying algorithms. The course also reinforced the importance of co-creation in AI development. Involving affected communities as equal stakeholders—rather than passive recipients—ensures that systems are designed with real-world needs in mind and reduces the risk of harm or exclusion. These principles align with participatory methodologies used in development research and policymaking, where community voices are integral to defining problems and generating solutions.”
The AI & Equality course has inspired me to take a more proactive role in sharing this knowledge with my colleagues and networks. I now feel more confident in contributing to interdisciplinary conversations on AI, particularly in spaces where social scientists and human rights advocates are underrepresented. It was affirming to discover the growing recognition of the value that non-technical professionals bring to the field, especially in ensuring that AI systems are inclusive, accountable, and aligned with societal needs and values.”
