🌱🐰💰 Automation & Altruism
The latest wave of automation technologies will bring many positives, yet these technological advances will also disrupt labour markets. So, in this edition, we explore the non-profits, partnerships and initiatives championing improvements in outcomes of the tech transition.
The Good, the Bunny and the Money is our monthly take on the latest impactful success stories from across the U.S. and around the World.
'🌱 The Good' looks at nonprofits leading the way in impactful change;
'💰 The Money' takes a dive into the private-sector champions driving financial inclusion & economic development; and
'🐰 The Bunny' showcases the most promising collaborations between nonprofits and businesses working hand in hand for the People and the Planet.
The latest wave of automation technologies - spurred on by advances in computing power, robotics, and artificial intelligence (AI) - have the potential to lift global productivity and serve humanity for good. However, these advances will also disrupt current labour markets (Agriculture, Logistics ). It’s estimated that up to a third of American workers will have to switch occupational categories by 2030. In this edition, we explore the champions improving the outcomes of the tech transition by leveraging the very technologies causing the disruption.
🌱 The Good: AI for Good: Developing Artificial Intelligence to serve humanity
AI for Good is a non-profit bringing together a broad range of researchers, non-profits, governments and corporate actors to identify, prototype and scale artificial intelligent solutions that measure and advance the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
An example of AI for Good’s work: The LifeForce project - a platform that better coordinates and protects information and aid for those in need in Ukraine.
How does LifeForce make a difference?
- By matching individuals requiring aid with resources depending on location and availability (data on metrics and resources are updated hourly).
- To protect civilian infrastructure and humanitarian data the highest standards of security encryption are deployed on the platform.
- Civilians are alerted about suppliers, shelters, transport and dangerous situations in their vicinity - this data is uploaded to the platform by coordinators on the ground, with alerts sent out to individuals automatically.
🐰 The Bunny: Better job matching through technology
What is Rework America? An initiative powered by a private foundation, Markle, which aims to help workers have greater market power by making skills the basis on which companies hire employees in today’s digital economy, rather than just academic qualifications.
The objective… is to transform America’s outdated labour market so all Americans (especially those without a bachelor’s degree) can thrive in the digital economy.
How? By partnering with local private and public sector organisations with the knowledge, relationships and networks of the local community. Rework America then obtain and compile job and skill-demand data on their automated platform to:
- Share actionable job market insights on good jobs, in-demand locally and relevant to those who have been displaced.
- Provide resources to career coaches and counsellors to better support job seekers to identify good jobs and effective training aligned to those jobs.
- Work with employers to modify their resourcing processes so they provide opportunities to more job seekers and access a more diverse talent pool.
Hungry for more work-based AI? Nicolas Aidoud’s “HUMAIN” combines facts and predictions about AI - painting a picture on the future of work.
💰 The Money: A matchmaker for minority businesses
Opportunity: As the labour market shifts, entrepreneurial enterprises can help open doors to new paying jobs, training and boost earning potential in emerging sectors. To amplify this impact it is critical that entrepreneurialism is nurtured in communities most vulnerable to shifts in the labour market.
Enter Minwo: A start-up working to connect minority founders with venture capitalists, accelerators, consultants, incubators and resources. The Minwo marketplace (Rialto) is AI-powered to ensure minority businesses are matched with the optimal resources to complement their vision.
The end goal: To form ecosystems for building and scaling innovative businesses across minority communities and mitigate the risk of future labour shifts.
🥕 What else we’re munching:
- THRIVE: The future of work is about giving. Fabien Lamaison discusses the need for a new social and economic fabric for society.
- Bayes Impact has created an AI career coach, called Bob, which empowers job seekers and assists job coaches in their daily work.
- Non-profit, Generation, is transforming the education to employment system through vocational training programs, to place those who or unemployed, underemployed or need to learn new skills into life-changing careers.
- The Gig Economy Hub provides accessible information relating to the scope of gig work, to influence and inform policymakers and support the development of better workplace protection and benefits for the gig economy.
Image Credits: Cover Photo by Alex Knight via Unsplash; LifeForce Project; Markle; Rialto