AI

Helping young changemakers navigate the world of AI

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.
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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.

Watch Masterclass Recordings
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Ansgar Koene 2022

AI Governance and Stakeholder Trust

Dr Ansgar Koene– EY
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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.



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AI & Digital Safety

Seyi Akiwowo
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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.

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Youth-led AI for Good World Tour

Lukas Salecker, Elly Savatia, Andrea Romo, Mejda Khaled
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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
Francielly is helping bridge the valuation gap of marine ecosystems by making their conservation and restoration measurable and investable. Through benthos, she is turning ocean protection into an opportunity that benefits both nature and the economy.
Francielly Monteiro
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Göksel is redesigning learning for the AI era through transformative educational experiences that unlock human creativity and potential. He is helping individuals and organisations cultivate the uniquely human capabilities that technology cannot replace.
Göksel Gürsel
Christian Vanizette
Christian is mobilising communities through Chilli, an AI-powered app that turns daily habits into tangible action. He is helping people address pressing local and global challenges through collective, everyday change.
Christian Vanizette
Evolena
Evolena is making second-hand shopping as seamless as buying new through Faircado’s AI-powered shopping assistant. She is helping make recommerce the new standard, reducing waste by giving existing products a second life.
Evolena de Wilde d’Estmael
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Iva is creating inclusive employment opportunities through Human in the Loop by training refugees and people from vulnerable groups in data annotation. She is connecting overlooked talent with the growing needs of the artificial intelligence industry.
Iva Gumnishka
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Muyunda is improving urban waste management through Ebusaka, a digital platform connecting residents, waste collectors, and local authorities. He is making collection and recycling across African cities more efficient, transparent, and environmentally responsible.
Muyunda Kaonga

Our programme has supported cohorts across MENA, Europe, and Latin America, with new regions to be announced in the future.

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

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EY
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!