Advancing Economic Justice for All: AI Promises and Pitfalls

As the President of Nomi Network , a leading workforce development agency for survivors and women at risk of human trafficking, I deeply care about advancing economic justice for all. We held our annual Corporate Summit at the United Nations in September, where we explored AI's positive and negative impacts. Helen (Chen) Foo , Co-founder of Stellar, highlighted AI's limitations, reminding the audience that "AI cannot go back 3,000 miles to give my kids a hug this morning." Data biases, she shared, are a risk of being discriminatory, citing the automotive industry's seatbelt design. Seatbelts were designed and tested using only male crash test dummies. Over the years, studies proved the increased risk to women and children from this design flaw. Still today, women suffer more physical harm in an accident.

Sue Xu , Managing Partner at Amino Capital , emphasized the importance of diverse data sources. She recently invested in a bank serving individuals outside of traditional financial services. Other investors scoffed at risking business on the "unbankable." It is now a $20 billion company. Sue stressed that AI builders and engineers need data from underserved communities to create truly inclusive solutions. Other speakers included Jon Frendl , Founder of Cappital , and Diya Wynn , Principal of Responsible AI at Amazon Web Services (AWS) .?

After our Summit, I landed across the country in LA Tech Week to speak at "The Rise of Family Offices and Their Impact on Generative AI." There, I emphasized the power of strategic philanthropy in harnessing AI for social impact. I discussed the trend of families aligning their purpose or philanthropy with investments.?

One case study involved a Parametric client who was passionate about addressing human trafficking but wanted to go beyond her donations and volunteering. She sought to align her portfolio with her social values. At that time, there were no investment products or funds addressing this issue as part of their process; as a result, she worked with Parametric to develop one focused on human trafficking. They started with $406 million in assets under management in 2017, and now they have $3.9 billion in AUM using an anti-human trafficking screening lens.

On that panel, I was joined by Larry Li , founder of Amino Capital, who was named in the top five for AI Trendsetters. Michelle C Lee , Philanthropist and Coach, Mark Eibel, CFA , CFA of Russell Investments, and Desiree Pierce , Senior Lead Family Office Manager at 富国银行 .

After TechWeek, I had the honor of attending the "Masters of Scale Summit," hosted by Reid Hoffman , the founder of LinkedIn. The Summit began with his question: How do we keep humans at the center of this historic technology transition to AI? I believe that it starts with the idea shared at the summit by Chewy CEO Sumit Singh , who spoke about "scaling customer centrality." What if that customer centrality was not just towards pet owners and lovers but also survivors, justice-impacted youth, youth aging out of foster care, and those living on the margins? I am excited about that possibility!

Chewy believes their customers should feel as welcome and cared for as if they are entering their neighborhood pet store. For instance, people receive a hand-drawn portrait of their pet on special milestones. Chewy refunds customers dissatisfied with their dog food and encourages them to donate to a local shelter. Maintaining high-touch, personalized customer service in the digital age is challenging but critical.

Also, at the Masters of Scale Summit, speakers discussed how a machine's quality is determined by its data input. This echoed the importance of collecting unbiased data from diverse communities, as was discussed at Tech Week and the Nomi Network Corporate Summit.

?A valid concern many people have expressed in this new AI age is the fear that this technology will replace us. Our Corporate Summit, Tech Week, and the Masters of Scale Summit demonstrate that job creators and capital allocators can make a positive impact by ensuring an inclusive AI transition. As the President of Nomi Network, I've been deeply contemplating the future of work in light of the AI transition and its impact on workforce development and human trafficking. It's a complex and rapidly evolving landscape that many of us in the non-profit field still try to fully grasp. I'll be honest - many of my peers and I often feel like we're playing catch-up when it comes to understanding AI and leveraging the latest technologies within our organizations. We haven't been on the cutting edge of this transition, and that can be frustrating and even a bit scary at times. However, I believe it's crucial that we embrace these new tools and technologies, even if we're not experts.?

AI has immense potential to aid in the fight against human trafficking; however, it is currently being used to exploit individuals even more rapidly. In my field specifically, we need to know which jobs will likely sunset and which will emerge in the AI transition. It will take time to train a workforce with high barriers to work to secure those jobs. However, together with corporate partners, we can create opportunity pathways for women.

Millions missed the boat with the mobile transition, millions more in the digital transition. My hope is that they are not left out during the AI transition, with 712 million people living on under $2 a day and 2.6 billion people globally who do not have internet access. Even in the U.S., for example, this is an issue. During the COVID-19 pandemic, large communities of children in Texas lacked access to the internet or devices to attend virtual classes. The wealth gap continues to widen both in the U.S. and globally. Job creators and capital allocators play a crucial role in ensuring that no one is left behind during the AI transition.

?My top 3 recommendations for more equitable access to AI opportunities and the mitigation of potential harm are:

?1. Expand design.

During the design phase, I recommend including impacted individuals in the conversation for the AI project, product, or policy. Diverse perspectives will also strengthen the end product and make it more inclusive. At Nomi Network, we have benefited from actively recruiting survivor leaders to join our board and advisory team and enhance our workforce development services.

?2. Enhance leadership.

Individuals with lived experience can play a larger role beyond providing design insights; they can also provide leadership on your Board. We have survivor leaders on our Board and working groups, and I believe that AI investments and companies can benefit from including individuals with lived experiences or leaders from the non-profit sector on their Boards as well.

?3. Diversify data sources.

Obtain below-the-line or last-mile data points to feed your AI systems. This will reduce the risk of data bias and provide access to new markets, as demonstrated in the example with Amino Capital. Non-profit organizations, such as Nomi Network, can be your partner in serving communities traditionally excluded in the AI pipeline.