Humanitarian AI podcast series | Localising AI solutions: practitioner experiences from Rwanda

How can experimentation and collaboration bridge the gap between humanitarian AI aspirations and reality? 

Our recent AI research conducted in partnership with Data Friendly Space highlighted infrastructural constraints and risk tolerance as major barriers to AI adoption. In this fifth instalment of our six-part Humanitarian AI podcast series, we explore how Rwanda's innovation ecosystem offers practical lessons for the humanitarian sector.

We're delighted to welcome Deogratius Kiggudde, Programme Manager for The Upanzi Network at Carnegie Mellon University Africa in Kigali. Deogratius sits down with Ka Man Parkinson and shares his experiences of working with open-source community-centred tech and AI in Rwanda's innovation ecosystem and beyond.

Tune in for a practical, grounded conversation on AI implementation, including:

• Deogratius’ experience of working within Rwanda's experimentation culture
• The potential of small language models for humanitarian AI
• The power of community-driven open-source tech
• Insight into real-world connectivity solutions
• Plus, Deogratius answers community questions.

Visit the episode webpage for shownotes including speaker bios, episode transcript and supporting links:

https://www.humanitarianleadershipacademy.org/resources/humanitarian-ai-podcast-series-localising-ai-solutions-practitioner-experiences-from-rwanda

Thanks for listening. Please help us to grow this podcast by subscribing and leaving a review on the platform you're listening from. Thank you! For more resources for the humanitarian community, visit humanitarianleadershipacademy.org/resources

The views and opinions expressed in our podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of their organisations.

Chapters

• 0:00 Chapter 1: Introduction
• 3:11 Chapter 2: From building homes to technology: Deogratius’ journey to tech for social impact
• 8:19 Chapter 3: Balancing innovation and risk: how Rwanda’s innovative policies supports an experimentation culture for practitioners
• 24:25 Chapter 4: Deogratius’ view: building a movement through open-source AI
• 31:42 Chapter 5: Technical solutions to overcome connectivity challenges: the potential of small language models
• 50:34 Chapter 6: Community Q&A: Deogratius answers your questions
• 1:11:09 Chapter 7: Deogratius’ view: what’s needed to accelerate progress
• 1:12:58 Chapter 8: Closing reflections