NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Harnessing AI For Social Impact Webinar Program

In an era marked by unprecedented technological advancement, the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and social impact presents extraordinary opportunities for positive change. This webinar, part of Impact Entrepreneur’s Building an Impact Economy Webinar Series, explores the technology’s potential for good, as well as the ethical challenges and risks associated with it, inspired by the insights shared by Brigit Helms in her compelling article.

Brigit, along with a distinguished panel of social entrepreneurs and a technology ethicist, will navigate through the real-world applications and the broader implications of AI in today’s social impact landscape. The dialogue seeks to advance an understanding of how AI-driven solutions are improving impact, while underscoring the importance of responsible implementation and ongoing ethical scrutiny. This webinar is an opportunity for participants to garner actionable insights on the application of AI to business operations to achieve greater social-economic goals, thereby playing a pivotal role in accelerating the momentum towards an impact economy.

Topics to be covered include:

• The growth of AI as a viable tool for social innovators and the ethical adoption in business models and operations.
• Real-world examples of successful social enterprise AI strategies and their impact on communities.
• Measuring AI social and environmental impact against the technology’s challenges and risks.
• Future Trends: the role of regulation and oversight when balancing the benefits of emerging technologies.

Featured Guests

Brian Patrick Green, Ph.D., is the director of technology ethics at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University and teaches AI ethics in Santa Clara’s Graduate School of Engineering. His work focuses on ethical issues with AI, tech companies, risky emerging technologies, space exploration, and the relationship of technology and religion. He is author, co-author, or co-editor of six books, and has worked on technology ethics with the World Economic Forum, the Vatican, and technology companies including Microsoft, Salesforce, and IBM. Green has been cited in media ranging from The Atlantic to The Wall Street Journal.

Brigit Helms is Executive Director at the Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship, the premier university-based social enterprise accelerator dedicated to eliminating poverty. For 30 years, Brigit has created and delivered solutions to social and environmental challenges in 45 countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, in both the private and public sectors. As vice president for the global development company, Development Alternatives, Brigit led a team of experts in economic growth, governance, environment, and results management to help design and implement solutions to complex development problems around the world. Previously, she led the Multilateral Investment Fund (now IDB Invest), the innovation lab of the Inter-American Development Bank that invests $85 million per year in social enterprises across Latin America and the Caribbean. At McKinsey, she helped build a global financial inclusion practice, providing mobile financial services for the under-served, and supporting the development of a smart card-based agent banking network. Brigit spent around 14 years with the World Bank Group, including launching banking, agriculture, and forestry programs to benefit small and medium enterprises in Indonesia through its International Finance Corp (IFC). She also served as sector leader for IFC’s East Asia and the Pacific region, leading the Access to Finance program from her base in Cambodia. She was a founding member of the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP), a global center of excellence for financial inclusion, where she supported microfinance institutions and their ecosystems across the globe.

Dr. Daphne Ngunjiri is the CEO of Access Afya, where she spearheads the mission to deliver affordable, high-quality healthcare to underserved communities in Kenya. A seasoned healthcare leader with over 15 years of combined medical and management experience, she holds both an MBChB from the University of Nairobi and an MBA in Healthcare Management and Policy from Strathmore Business School. Dr. Ngunjiri believes passionately in the power of healthcare systems, data, and analytics to revolutionize operational efficiency and clinical outcomes.

Manoj Sinha is CEO of Husk Power and one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential Climate Leaders in Business. In 2008, he pioneered the minigrid industry to eradicate energy poverty, and has since built Husk into the leading clean energy company serving rural Africa and Asia. Husk owns and operates the world’s largest fleet of minigrids. Under Manoj’s leadership, Husk recently raised $100 million to electrify 1,400 new communities. Manoj is a board member of CLEAN, India’s decentralized renewable energy trade association. He also received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Africa Solar Industry Association.