Rich Buery, CEO of the Robin Hood Foundation, discusses using AI to fight poverty in NYC. They explore AI tools, an AI poverty challenge, empowering individuals in poverty through technology, and a Matrix-themed fundraising gala impact. The focus is on involving marginalized communities to combat inequality.
Robin Hood Foundation uses AI to fight poverty in NYC, addressing key factors like education and job access.
Partnerships empower nonprofits to leverage AI for social good, highlighting the importance of centering lived experiences of poverty in technology solutions.
Deep dives
Enlisting AI to Fight Poverty
The Robin Hood Foundation is utilizing AI to combat poverty in New York City. The foundation has observed an increase in both the size and intensity of poverty, with over 2 million New Yorkers living in poverty, including 25% of children in the city. Despite positive economic indicators, there are deep inequities underlying the economic recovery, particularly affecting marginalized communities.
AI Challenge for Poverty Solutions
The foundation has launched a $1 million AI challenge to address poverty by focusing on key factors like education, job access, financial stability, and capital availability. The aim is to explore how emerging technologies like AI can impact and potentially alleviate the challenges faced by individuals living in poverty. The initiative seeks to ensure that AI is a tool for opportunity rather than a driver of inequality.
Empowering Solutions with AI
Through partnerships and initiatives, such as TechNYC Foundation and PlayLab AI, efforts are being made to empower nonprofits and educators to leverage AI for social good. Projects like PlayLab AI are enabling teachers to use AI tools for educational support, such as creating chatbots to address absenteeism and providing real-time assessments. The involvement of individuals with lived experiences of poverty in technology solutions highlights the importance of centering their needs and expertise in driving impactful change.
Some 38 million people live in poverty in this country – nearly 12 percent of the population. The problem remains especially bad in New York City, where the poverty level among kids alone has jumped 66% since 2021. The Robin Hood Foundation has provided millions of dollars of grants to fight poverty in New York for more than 3 decades. Now, its CEO says the foundation famous for using investment principles to tackle poverty is enlisting AI in the fight.
Niala spoke with Rich Buery Wednesday live on stage at the Axios AI+ Summit, part of New York Tech Week.
Guests: Rich Buery, Jr., CEO of the Robin Hood Foundation
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