AI

Helping young changemakers navigate the world of AI

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A Global Initiative

The onset of artificial intelligence brings great promise and great risk for the world. Young changemakers are tackling some the most pressing issues of our time, but are often stretched and under-resourced. Mindful and ethical adoption of  AI tools can  help reduce this burden and increase their impact in the world. At the same time we must be deeply critical of how AI is currently being developed, the environmental impact, the centralisation of power and the rush for more and more powerful models poses a great risk to us all, and we believe young changemakers have a key role in shaping this technology to ensure it can be a force for good.
Open Space Sessions CXC Greece 2018 2 © Sylvia Kouveli

Regional Cohorts

Our regional cohorts bring together young changemakers, offering them tailored support and connections with AI experts, on everything from ethics and responsible implementation experts to builders and developers.
Meet our MENA 2025 Cohort
Meet our Europe 2025 Cohort
Meet our LatAm 2025 Cohort
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An Online Hub

Explore our online hub for real-world case studies of young changemakers from around the world using AI for good, our Mindful AI Manifesto & Policy, Masterclasses on AI for Good which you can join or watch back and curated resources on the key dilemmas of AI implementation & Practical AI Skill Building.

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Ansgar Koene 2022

AI Governance and Stakeholder Trust

Dr Ansgar Koene– EY
19th March – 3PM UTC+1
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AI Governance and Stakeholder Trust

Date: 19th March 3PM UTC+1

This session explores the shifting global landscape of AI regulation and policy. Dr Ansgar Koene will examine how to move beyond basic legal compliance to establish genuine trust with stakeholders. Participants will learn how to navigate emerging international standards and conform to new laws while ensuring their use of data remains responsible and beneficial to society.

About the speaker: Dr Ansgar Koene leads global policy development regarding the governance and regulation of AI. He works with policymakers and industry leaders to support the trustworthy use of technology. Ansgar chaired the IEEE 7003-2024 Standard for Algorithmic Bias Considerations and serves as a trustee for the 5Rights Foundation, advocating for the digital rights of young people. He holds a PhD in Computational Neuroscience and specializes in AI ethics and standards.



Seyi headshot

AI & Digital Safety

Seyi Akiwowo 24th March – 3:30PM UTC+1
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Digital Safety and Care as Infrastructure

Date: 24th March 3:30PM UTC+1

Specifically designed for changemakers and activists, this session addresses the systemic harms found in digital spaces and how to build better protections. Seyi will discuss leadership responsibility in AI governance, the need to build intentional friction into systems for safety, and how to treat care and repair as essential infrastructure for our collective digital future.

About the speaker: Seyi Akiwowo is a global advisor and systems thinker who helps organisations navigate digital rights responsibly. A former politician and the author of How to Stay Safe Online, she has advised on the UK Online Safety Act and shaped global platform policy. Seyi focuses on tech accountability, democratic resilience, and digital citizenship, ensuring that innovation protects the most vulnerable rather than exploiting them.

Masterclass8

Youth-led AI for Good World Tour

Lukas Salecker, Elly Savatia, Andrea Romo, Mejda Khaled 8th April – 3PM UTC+1
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Youth-Led AI for Good World Tour

Date: 8th April 3PM UTC+1

This session features four young changemakers who are building concrete solutions. We will explore how they are using AI for social and environmental impact and the ethical hurdles they overcame to launch their projects across different global contexts.

  • Deliberaide (Europe): Lukas Salecker presents a tool designed to facilitate and scale democratic deliberation.
  • Signverse (Sub-Saharan Africa): Elly Savatia demonstrates how AI can bridge communication gaps for the deaf community.
  • MANKA (Latin America): Andrea Romo shares her AI-powered chatbot that provides personalised, accessible nutrition and health advice.
  • AGARUW (MENA): Mejda Khaled explains how her platform uses AI to drive the circular economy and reduce textile waste in the fashion industry.
Sasha Luccioni speaks at SESSION 4 at TEDWomen 2023: Two Steps Forward. October 11-13, 2023, Atlanta, GA. Photo: Gilberto Tadday / TED

The Climate Impact of AI

Sasha Luccioni – Hugging Face
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Session 4: The Environmental Impact of AI

Date: 27th November – 3PM UTC+1

Artificial Intelligence promises to solve some of humanity’s biggest challenges, but what is its own environmental footprint? From the energy-intensive training of large models to the resources needed for hardware, the costs are piling up. In this crucial session, we will go behind the scenes of the AI revolution.

  • Understand the full lifecycle of AI’s environmental impact, from data center energy consumption to the carbon cost of training models.
  • Discover how AI can also be a powerful tool for environmental good, helping to tackle climate change, monitor biodiversity, and optimize energy grids.
  • Learn practical strategies and best practices for developing and deploying AI more sustainably and responsibly within your organization.

About the speaker: Dr. Sasha Luccioni is a leading AI researcher and the Climate Lead at Hugging Face. She is a globally recognized expert on the environmental impact of artificial intelligence, dedicated to measuring its costs and promoting more sustainable practices in the field. Her work provides a critical perspective on how we can innovate responsibly for a healthier planet.

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Building Inclusive AI

Zamina Ahmad – Shades and contrast
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Session 5: Building Inclusive AI

Date: 4th December – 1PM UTC+1

AI systems learn from data, and if that data is biased, the AI will be too. So, how do we build AI that truly serves everyone, especially the most marginalized communities? This masterclass will equip you with the mindset and tools to build inclusive AI from the ground up. We’ll cover:

  • Practical techniques to identify and mitigate bias in your datasets and models.
  • How to design AI solutions with intention, focusing on equity and justice.
  • Why diversity in tech teams is not just a metric, but a crucial component for creating fair technology.

About the speaker: Zamina Ahmad is the founder and CEO of Shades and contrast, a consultancy dedicated to building fair, scalable, and ethically responsible AI products. As an AI and Machine Learning Product Manager with over 15 years of experience, she brings a wealth of practical knowledge on how to bridge the gap between AI’s potential and its equitable application in the real world.

Jacek Siadkowski Headshot

Intro to AI for good

Jacek Siadkowski– Tech to the Rescue
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Session 1: Introduction to AI for Good

Date: 13th November – 2PM UTC+1

Curious about what AI can do for your mission, but not sure where to start? This session is for you. We’ll cut through the hype and dive into what “AI for Good” really means for changemakers. Together, we will:

  • Demystify the basics of AI and machine learning in a simple, accessible way.
  • Explore inspiring, real-world case studies of how non-profits are using AI to scale their impact.
  • Identify the key opportunities and first steps you can take to bring AI into your own organization.

About the speaker: Jacek Siadkowski is the co-founder and CEO of Tech to the Rescue, a global platform that connects tech companies with non-profit organizations to solve the world’s most pressing problems. He’s passionate about mobilizing the tech ecosystem for social good and has a unique bird’s-eye view of how technology can supercharge social innovation.

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Getting AI ready

Odin Muhlebein – Ashoka
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Session 2: AI Readiness Framework for Nonprofits

Date: 18th November – 2PM UTC+1

In this session, we will do three things: 1) assess the “AI Readiness” of your venture to determine what kinds of apps you can responsibly provide to your team and to your users; 2) identify use cases for AI that can make you more efficient in your work; and 3) learn how you can improve your AI Readiness one prototype at a time in a virtuous cycle that we at Ashoka call “Conscious Tinkering”.

What you need for this session: Something to take notes with.

About the speaker: Odin Mühlenbein started the AI Lab at Ashoka, the world’s largest network of social entrepreneurs. He has created 30+ AI applications that make Ashoka more efficient. He also loves side projects. His current ones are https://chosenpath.ai, an AI-powered interactive fiction engine, and https://actuallyrelevant.news, an AI-powered news curation service that evaluates stories based on how important they are for humanity.

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Understanding AI Ethics and Responsible Implementation

Dr. Khawla Mallat – SAP
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Session 3: Understanding AI Ethics and Responsible Implementation

Date: 25th November – 2PM UTC+1

As changemakers, we don’t just want to use powerful tools; we want to use them responsibly. But what does “ethical AI” actually look like in practice? This session will move beyond the buzzwords to give you a concrete framework for responsible implementation. We will explore:

  • The core principles of ethical AI: fairness, accountability, and transparency.
  • How to spot and question potential ethical risks in AI projects.
  • What it takes to translate high-level principles into real-world action, learning from the inside of a global tech leader.

About the speaker: Dr. Khawla Mallat is a Research Scientist at SAP, where she focuses on building trustworthy and reliable AI. With a PhD in machine learning, she works at the intersection of deep technical research and corporate sustainability, helping to shape and operationalize SAP’s global AI ethics framework.

Our Community

At the heart of ChangemakerXchange is a vibrant close-knit community of 1500+ people from 130+ countries working on a vast range of issues, as well as hundreds of partners on all continents of the world. See below selected examples of our members and their initiatives using AI for good.

Francielly
benthos bridges the valuation gap of marine ecosystems, turning their conservation and restoration into quantifiable, investment-worthy assets crucial for our planet’s health and prosperity.
Francielly Monteiro • Brazil/Germany
Evolena
Faircado is an AI-powered second-hand shopping assistant, making recommerce the new e-commerce standard.
Evolena de Wilde d’Estmael • Belgium/Germany
Christian Vanizette
Chilli is a digital app that leverages the power of community, habits, and daily actions to drive tangible change and tackle pressing local and global challenges with the power of AI.
Christian Vanizette • France
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Human in the Loop is a social enterprise which employs and trains refugees and people from other vulnerable groups to provide data annotation services to Artificial Intelligence companies.

Iva Gumnishka •
Bulgaria

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SOGLAB is a learning experience design studio who creates transformative learning journeys to unlock Creative Wisdom ™️of Human Intelligence in a AI-driven era.

Göksel Gürsel •
UK/Turkey

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Ebusaka is a digital platform that streamlines waste collection and recycling by connecting residents, waste collectors, and local authorities for efficient, transparent, and eco-friendly waste management across African cities.

Muyunda Kaonga •
Zambia

Apply Now

We currently have active cohorts in MENA, Europe and Latin America. – Other regions are coming soon.

Sign up to our waitlist

What you can expect from our cohorts

Connect

Join a group of 15 like-minded young changemakers exploring how to harness AI to tackle social and environmental challenges.

Capacity building

The programme starts with a kick-off call, followed by a needs assessment to help us make recommendations of support to you based on your organisation’s needs. Explore tailored opportunities to learn how AI is used for good through our masterclasses, case studies, and toolkits.

Support

Get matched with leading AI professionals to brainstorm, design, and experiment with AI prototypes that support your organisation’s work.

Ecosystem day

An immersive 2-day in person event activation designed for you to connect with AI for good experts, mentors and your cohort peers.

Feedback From Our Programmes

Changemakers for the Planet

“The Capacity Building has connected me exactly who I needed to speak with at this point in my founding journey.”

—  Feedback from a participant at Changemakers for the Planet in Europe 2024
CXC EmpathyXchange 2021 © Hieronymus Caspar Rönneper 03

“The support from CXC has amplified the impact of my startup, and my selfconfidence as an entrepreneur.”

—  Feedback from a participant at Changemakers for the Planet in MENA 2024

Our Advisory Commitee

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Odin is the Lead of Ashoka’s AI LAB, expert on ‘conscious tinkering’ and how to develop AI within organisations, featured in the WEF’s AI for Impact report.​
Odin Mühlenbein, Ashoka AI LAB, Germany.
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Zamina is a visionary AI & ML Expert, Speaker and Fair AI Advocate, pioneering the future of AI, ensuring businesses and changemakers build solutions that are responsible and powerful.
Zamina Ahmad (she/her), Shades&Contrast, Germany.
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Francielly is an oceanographer and geotechnologist, founder of Benthos.ai, building practical and inclusive AI tools for biodiversity and conservation challenges
Francielly Monteiro (she/her), Benthos.ai, Brazil/Germany.
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Iva is the founder of the AI dataset annotation company Humans in the Loop and a cofounder of the International Olympiad in AI for high school students.
Iva Gumnishka (she/her), Humans in The Loop, Bulgaria.

Supported by

SAP-Logo
EY

FAQ

Who is ChangemakerXchange.AI for?

Our ChangemakerXchange.AI programme is aimed at young changemakers aged 18-35 improving their communities and the world through social and environmental action. We welcome applications from individuals with diverse backgrounds.

We intentionally bring together a diverse group of changemakers, recognising that social impact and the planetary crisis demand an intersectional and coordinated approach involving various stakeholders. This includes those tackling the root causes and those responding to the societal impacts of these changes.

Who are the partners for the ChangemakerXchange.AI programme?

ChangemakerXchange.AI is an initiative by ChangemakerXchange, an international non-profit organisation with a mission to support young changemakers thrive and deepen or scale their impact in the world.

The initiative is supported by various global partners, including:

SAP, who are supporting the MENA, Europe and LatAm cohorts and the overall global initiative

Tech to the Rescue, who are providing Pro-bono tech support for our MENA 2025 cohort.

To learn more about our partnerships, including how to join the effort, please reach out to Nick McGirl at

Who can join the programme?

Our programme consists of three key elements:
– Hub & Online Resources: These are completely free and open to everyone—no registration required (more information September 2025).
– Masterclasses: Also free and available to all, but you’ll need to register in advance as spots are limited (more information September 2025).
– Cohorts: Participation is by application only. ChangemakerXchange conducts a selection process, and only selected changemakers can join and fully benefit from this experience (applications open)

Are there any elimination criteria for joining a cohort?

Country:

  • (for our cohort in MENA 2025) You must be based or currently living / having impact in Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
  • (for our cohort in Europe 2025) You must be based or currently living / having impact in Albania , Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Republic of Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye, Ukraine, United Kingdom
  • (for our cohort in LatAm 2025) You must be based or currently living / having impact in Argentina, Bolivia, Brasil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haití, Honduras, México, Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Perú, República Dominicana, Uruguay, Venezuela.

Age: For this programme, you must be aged 18–35. Due to permission reasons, we focus on those over 18s. (Please note that changemakers of all ages are welcome to join other activities like Train the Trainer programmes or activities under the Possibilists.)*

Role: You must be the founder/co-founder, leader/co-leader, manager/co-manager (or hold an influential position with decision-making power, e.g. intrapreneur) of a social/environmental venture/organisation which is up and running.

Complete application: The application form must be fully completed – with no open questions or very obviously insufficient answers remaining. Only applications submitted before the deadline will be considered.

*We might be able to accommodate older or younger participants as an exception.

Do I need to be the original founder or co-founder?

No, we also welcome applications from changemakers, who might have joined a programme, venture, or initiative at a later stage. However, it is important that you are in a clearly defined leadership position. We, unfortunately, cannot accept applications from other employees or volunteers.

Does my organisation / project have to fulfil certain criteria?

When reviewing applications to join a ChangemakerXchange.AI cohort, we consider several key factors:

– The current and future impact of the organisation, as well as the potential for AI to enhance its work and/or reduce the burden on the team.
– The motivation and willingness of the team and founder to innovate and integrate AI tools.
– Basic tech savviness of the team.

What personal criteria are important to ChangemakerXchange?

Values: Applicants for a ChangemakerXchange cohort should demonstrate an alignment with the ChangemakerXchange values.
Character: Applicants should show an entrepreneurial and creative mindset.
Motivation: Applicants should show motivation to co-create and collaborate.
Diversity: Diversity is also a critical criteria for us. As such, we are putting a strong emphasis on curating cohorts that are diverse in terms of demographics and types of initiatives.

Who covers the costs of my participation in the programme?

ChangemakerXchange will cover ALL COSTS associated with the cohort and programme, such as: capacity-building, programme manager compensation, specialists compensation, facilitation compensation, and post-cohort community engagement activities. The only exception is visa related affairs in case of in-person traveling, that should be covered by the participants themselves.

When and how will I hear back if I was selected?

The call for applications for our ChangemakerXchange.AI cohort in MENA has closed

The call for applications for our ChangemakerXchange.AI cohort in LatAm and Europe will be open from the 23rd of June until the 13th of July.. You can expect to hear back from us via email on the 22nd of June

Please note that upon successfully submitting your application, you should receive a thank-you message and a short notification email from with a summary of your responses (please also check your junk folder). If you did not see either, please contact us at

Can I receive feedback on my application?

Unfortunately, we cannot provide individual feedback on each application. But we do send a thorough email to all applicants outlining the full application and selection process, as well as sharing useful resources for changemakers, which has always been appreciated by applicants in the past.

Can my co-founder join instead of me?

ChangemakerXchange invests first and foremost in you as an individual. If you are unable to attend, we unfortunately cannot accept your co-founder as there are other candidates who went through the whole application process and may be on the waitlist.

If I join an AI cohort, will I be able to join your community?

Unfortunately, no. To join our community, you need to be selected for one of our summit programmes—currently **Changemakers for Democracy, Education, or the Planet**.

Our community members share a common experience through these summits, which are a core part of our programme design. Since the **ChangemakerXchange.AI cohorts** will not go through this experience, they will function as a standalone capacity-building initiative rather than an entry point to our community.

What is your approach to Disability Inclusion?

We strive to be as inclusive as possible as an organisation and for all our activities, including the in-person summits. This includes physical disabilities (i.e. wheelchair accessibility, support for deaf or blind participants), as well as cognitive disabilities (e.g. being neurodiverse). If you have any specific questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to .

Also, if needed, we will prepare a personalised “onboarding toolkit” ahead of the summit to address any specific accessibility needs.

Find out more about new opportunities for changemakers based / with impact in other regions, as well as news around our masterclasses, case studies and free AI resources. Sign up to our waitlist now and stay tuned!
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