What if social entrepreneurs and tech companies could work together, leveraging their mutual knowledge? What if, along that path, new markets were discovered, and rights were expanded?

Ashoka, the world's largest network of social entrepreneurs, has asked itself these questions and spearheaded a pilot program creating a community of social entrepreneurs in Latin America using AI.

This initiative, supported by Lenovo, aims to bridge the gap between these two worlds, unlocking the potential for a more inclusive and equitable technological landscape.

The program revealed a crucial insight: a significant number of social entrepreneurs are actively using AI in innovative ways, unlocking new potential and uses, and often adapting existing technologies to address challenges in their communities. 

For instance, one of these social entrepreneurs created ReNaBap, a program within Argentina’s Ministry of Economy, that leverages Google Maps to map informal settlements in the country’s most vulnerable areas that were invisible on traditional records. This lack of address information excluded residents from essential services and rights.

Renabap
Team members from ReNaBap mapping local settlements

Another participating project, DataGénero, founded by Ashoka Fellow Ivana Feldfeber, utilizes AI to anonymize documents and eliminate bias from court rulings, especially those related to gender-based violence. This is particularly significant in a region grappling with pervasive gender inequality and violence against women.

A total of 75 people, representing 34 social enterprises, have participated in this first cohort in 2024. A total of 8,760 people have directly benefitted from their initiatives. However, these entrepreneurs often lack the time, money and technical expertise to maximize their impact. The pilot program addressed this by providing technical training and mentorship to the participants. Through workshops and networking sessions, they are gaining knowledge and connections to advance their initiatives.

 

Connecting social innovation with big tech

Connecting these entrepreneurs with tech giants like Lenovo, IBM, Meta or Microsoft presented a unique opportunity for knowledge sharing and collaboration. These companies, despite their global reach, are often unaware of how their technologies are being used on the ground, particularly in Latin America. The initiative facilitated conversations between the two, shedding light on the innovative applications of AI for social good and highlighting areas where technology could be improved to better serve diverse communities.

 

Spanish: still an underrepresented language in the technological landscape

The AI community also underscored the importance of language in AI development. With Spanish being a dominant language in Latin America, the program emphasized the need for more inclusive datasets and language models. As observed by Ashoka’s Laura Benbenaste, the driving force behind the programme, "The concept of language is a central theme in artificial intelligence. There are a lot of insights on this topic and a lot of data about how non-English languages have much bigger faults and more room for mistakes in their models than English”. This highlights the need for big tech companies to invest in developing AI solutions that cater to diverse linguistic landscapes, ensuring that technology empowers rather than excludes.

While this first AI community yielded promising results, it also revealed challenges that need to be addressed to fully unlock the potential of this collaboration.

One key obstacle is the small number of fully developed AI-supported social entrepreneurship initiatives in the region. As Laura explains, "To really test the hypothesis that corporate and social innovation can go hand in hand for greater impact, we need more social initiatives with more weight... If, for example, a social entrepreneur discovered a market or unveiled violated rights through their initiative, they need to go back and have enough pull to tell a company, ‘Guys, this is wrong; it needs to be thought of differently.’ You need an initiative that's fully developed, technically advanced, with a lot more time invested.”

Another challenge lies in fostering sustained engagement from big tech companies. While initial interest was high, translating that into tangible support and long-term partnerships remains a work in progress. As observed by Alice Damasceno, Lenovo’s Latin America Corporate Citizenship and ESG Director, "The opportunity exists, and we are working to figure out the exact path where we can propel these entrepreneurs through large corporations. How can we connect these two ends so that they bring tangible impact? People see the value, but we need to set it as their priority".

Despite these hurdles, the pilot program has laid a strong foundation for future collaborations. As Alice notes, "this is a process we've only just started. There is much more to be done. What I’m discovering is that in the field of AI, when you think you have an answer, another 400 questions appear. So, it's something that will take time, but we love seeing the results and the potential that it brings."

By showcasing the power of connecting social entrepreneurs with big tech, Ashoka and Lenovo are working toward a more inclusive and impactful technological ecosystem. The program's insights provide a roadmap for building a future where technology serves the needs of all, regardless of language or location.

Moving forward, the focus will be on nurturing more robust social entrepreneurship initiatives, providing them with the resources and expertise to scale their impact. The aim is to create a pipeline of successful ventures that can engage with big tech companies on equal footing, driving meaningful change and ensuring that technology truly works for the common good.

 

*The insights, ideas and messages in this article have all been extracted and developed by humans. An AI assistant supported the writing.