AI models aren't made equal. Some nonprofits are creating their own tools instead.
AI initiatives align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals to promote peace and prosperity.
This article is part of "How AI Is Changing Everything," a series on AI adoption across industries.
As millions of young people worldwide increasingly rely on AI chatbots to acquire knowledge as part of their learning — and even complete assignments for them — one organization is concerned that those in developing countries without access to the tech could be put at an unfair disadvantage.
And it's using the very technology it believes is causing this problem to fix it.
Education Above All, a nonprofit based in Qatar, believes that because most of the world's popular AI chatbots are created in Silicon Valley, they aren't equipped to understand the linguistic and ethnic nuances of non-English-speaking countries, creating education inequities on a global scale. But its team sees AI as a way to tackle this problem.
In January 2025, the charity teamed up with MIT, Harvard, and the United Nations Development Programme to introduce a free and open-source AI literacy program called Digi-Wise. Delivered in partnership with educators in the developing world, it encourages children to spot AI-fueled misinformation, use AI tools responsibly in the classroom, and even develop their own AI tools from scratch.
As part of this, the charity has developed its own generative AI chatbot called Ferby. It allows users to access and personalize educational resources from the Internet-Free Education Resource Bank, an online library containing hundreds of free and open-source learning materials.
Education Above All said it's already being used by over 5 million Indian children to access "project-based learning" in partnership with Indian nonprofit Mantra4Change. More recently, Education Above All has embedded Ferby into edtech platform SwiftChat, which is used by 124 million students and teachers across India.
"Ferby curates, customizes, and creates learning materials to fit local realities, so a teacher in rural Malawi can run the right science experiment as easily as a teacher in downtown Doha," said Aishwarya Shetty, an education specialist at Education Above All. "By marrying offline ingenuity with AI convenience, we make learning local, low-resource, and always within reach, yet at scale."
Education Above All is among a group of organizations using AI to tackle global inequality and work toward realizing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Created in 2015, the UN SDGs comprise 17 social, economic, and environmental targets that serve as guidelines for nations, businesses, and individuals to follow to help achieve a more peaceful and prosperous world. Education Above All's projects fall under SDG 4: inclusive and equitable education.
A range of other organizations are using AI to augment and enhance their education programming.
Tech To The Rescue, a global nonprofit that connects charities with pro-bono software development teams to meet their goals, is another organization using AI in support of the UN SDGs. Last year, it launched a three-year AI-for-good accelerator program to help NGOs meet the various UN SDGs using AI.
One organization to benefit from the program is Mercy Corps, a humanitarian group that works across over 40 countries to tackle crises like poverty, the climate crisis, natural disasters, and violence. Through the accelerator, it created an AI strategy tool that helps first responders predict disasters and coordinate resources. The World Institute on Disability AI also participated in the accelerator program, creating a resource-matching system that helps organizations allocate support to people with disabilities in hours rather than weeks.
Similarly, the International Telecommunication Union — the United Nations' digital technology agency, and one of its oldest arms — is supporting organizations using technology to achieve the UN SDGs through its AI for Good Innovation Factory startup competition. For example, an Indian applicant — a startup called Bioniks — has enabled a teenager to reclaim the ability to do simple tasks like writing and getting dressed through the use of AI-powered prosthetics.
While AI may prove to be a powerful tool for achieving the UN SDGs, it comes with notable risks. Again, as AI models are largely developed by American tech giants in an industry already constrained by gender and racial inequality, unconscious bias is a major flaw of AI systems.
To address this, Shetty said layered prompts for non-English users, human review of underlying AI datasets, and the creation of indigenous chatbots are paramount to achieving Education Above All's goals.
AI models are also power-intensive, making them largely inaccessible to the populations of developing countries. That's why Shetty urges AI companies to provide their solutions via less tech-heavy methods, like SMS, and to offer offline features so users can still access AI resources when their internet connections drop. Open-source, free-of-charge subscriptions can help, too, she added.
Challenges aside, Shetty is confident that AI can be a force for good over the next few years, particularly around education. She told BI, "We are truly energized by how the global education community is leveraging AI in education: WhatsApp-based math tutors reaching off-grid learners; algorithms that optimize teacher deployment in shortage areas; personalized content engines that democratize education; chatbots that offer psychosocial support in crisis zones and more."
But Shetty is clear that AI should augment, rather than displace, human educators. And she said the technology should only be used if it can solve challenges faced by humans and add genuine value.
"Simply put," she said, "let machines handle the scale, let humans handle the soul, with or without AI tools."
Read the original article on Business Insider
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Business Upturn
an hour ago
- Business Upturn
EPACK Durable partners with South Korea's Bumjin to enter smart audio segment
By Aditya Bhagchandani Published on July 25, 2025, 12:20 IST EPACK Durable Limited has entered into a strategic joint venture with South Korea-based Bumjin Electronics Co. Limited to manufacture soundbars, Bluetooth devices, and TV speakers in India. The deal, signed on July 24, 2025, is expected to kickstart manufacturing operations by Q3 FY26 and target a 30% market share in the segment. The partnership aims to leverage EPACK's large-scale manufacturing and Bumjin's expertise in speaker technology to develop AI-integrated, high-performance audio products. The collaboration also supports EPACK's plan to diversify beyond room air conditioners and into the broader smart consumer electronics space. EPACK Durable's MD & CEO Ajay DD Singhania said this alliance will help strengthen India's electronics manufacturing capabilities while delivering locally built products that match global standards. Executive Chairman Bajrang Bothra added that the joint venture aligns with the company's long-term roadmap and could reduce India's 25% import dependency in speaker systems. This collaboration is also expected to open up export opportunities while enabling the transfer of global best practices and advanced technologies into the Indian electronics ecosystem. Ahmedabad Plane Crash Aditya Bhagchandani serves as the Senior Editor and Writer at Business Upturn, where he leads coverage across the Business, Finance, Corporate, and Stock Market segments. With a keen eye for detail and a commitment to journalistic integrity, he not only contributes insightful articles but also oversees editorial direction for the reporting team.


CNBC
7 hours ago
- CNBC
CNBC Daily Open: Tesla's bad things come in threes
Tesla's going through a bumpy ride. The electric vehicle company on Wednesday reported a second consecutive quarter of declining auto sales. In Europe, Tesla's market share fell for the sixth straight month to 2.8% in June from 3.4% a year ago. The Trump administration's plans to reportedly roll back the U.S.' push for cleaner vehicles will probably hit Tesla further. A $7,500 EV tax credit in the U.S. will expire at the end of September, indirectly raising the cost of Tesla vehicles. Meanwhile, traditional carmakers will no longer need to purchase EV regulatory credits from Tesla — which receives them for free because its vehicles are completely electric — as the Trump administration intends to stop fining traditional carmakers for missing emission standards. That means Tesla will soon lose a source of revenue. They say bad things come in threes. Here's the last. While Tesla's bitcoin holding is currently worth $1.24 billion, according to its investor deck, it could have been worth billions more. In 2022, the company dumped 75% of its bitcoin. The cryptocurrency is trading at roughly $118,000 now. When Tesla sold its holdings, it was trading at around $19,000. If there's any consolation, even though U.S. President Donald Trump's "big beautiful bill" will affect Tesla, Trump said on Thursday it wasn't a targeted measure. "I want Elon, and all businesses within our Country, to THRIVE, in fact, THRIVE like never before!" Whether Trump's sentiments can help pave a smoother road for Tesla, though, is another spars with Powell during Fed visit. The U.S. President went back and forth with the Federal Reserve chair over Trump's claims about cost overruns at the Fed headquarters. But Trump said he doesn't think it's "necessary" to fire Powell. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite close at new records. Both indexes were boosted by Alphabet's better-than-expected earnings. The Stoxx Europe 600 index added 0.24%, paring earlier gains as the European Central Bank kept rates at 2%. Tesla shares sink 8%. That drop was triggered after the company on Wednesday reported a second straight quarter of declining auto sales. Tesla also dumped 75% of its bitcoin at one of the worst times. Intel's second-quarter revenue beats estimates. But the chipmaker reported a net loss of $2.9 billion due to an $800 million impairment charge. Intel's new CEO Lip-Bu Tan also announced big spending cuts in the company's foundry business. [PRO] An Indian company bets on weight-loss drugs. Expiring patents in Brazil and India mean that this pharma firm has a rare opportunity to be a first mover in dozens of emerging markets. Leaving, but not letting go — India's wealthy move abroad, but stay invested India is home to 85,698 individuals with assets exceeding $10 million, according to a recent report from Knight Frank. That accounts for 3.7% of the global population with that net worth, more than the U.K.'s 2.4%, but less than China's 20.1%. A recent survey by wealth management firm Kotak Private, conducted in association with consultancy EY, revealed that one in five of the 150 ultra-high-net-worth individuals polled plan to emigrate from India while retaining their Indian citizenship.


Gizmodo
8 hours ago
- Gizmodo
This Ultra-Repairable Bluetooth Speaker Addresses the Ugliest Part of Consumer Tech
Right to repair is a big deal lately, and there are plenty of new products that prove it. One of the best examples in the tech world is Framework, which has grown immensely by centering modularity and repairability in the ethos of its laptops and new mini desktop PC. And like any gadget trend worth its weight in lithium-ion, other hardware companies are taking note and hopping on the repairability bandwagon. I'm elated to say that this headwind of modularity has now been extended to the world of audio. This Bluetooth speaker from Teufel, a German audio company whose name translates in English to 'devil' or 'demon,' is anything but evil, in my very secular opinion. The reason I say that is because it actually bothers to tackle the concept of repairability and modularity. According to Teufel, its new speaker, called Mynd, is fully repairable, including the battery, which is often the first component in gadgets of this variety to fail. And when the battery goes, so does the power, and when there's no power, well… that's when things wind up in landfills. It's not just the battery, though. Teufel's Mynd speaker also has open-source software and hardware, which means that you can actually print some components at home with a 3D printer or create new drivers for the speaker. Theoretically, you don't even have to buy the Mynd from Teufel to own one. Instead, if you have a 3D printer and some technical know-how, you can print the shell, use Teufel's software, and buy the components you want. After that, just assemble them correctly, and there you go; you have a Mynd. 'A 3D printer with enough print volume and materials could print all the plastic parts, and we also have published the software the MYND uses internally. That means it needs only a handful of screws and you could build your very own speaker. You can also adjust the acoustic tuning to your personal wishes,' said an engineer for Teufel in a blog post. I love repairability: it's better for the Earth and it's better for people, which are two very important things. That being said, I do have some skepticism about how Mynd sounds, since there are constraints in making something that is almost entirely open-source and modular. One of those things is the speaker grate, which, as the engineers of Mynd state, had to be made of plastic. It's hard to say how that affects the sound without trying one. If there's one real problem with Mynd, it's that Teufel doesn't appear to be shipping it to the U.S. at the moment. If you're in Europe, though, you can order this speaker for €229.99 through Teufel's site. It's worth noting that Teufel does ship speakers to the U.S. with Fender branding, so maybe that restriction will change in the future. The fact of the matter is that people want products that will last and also products they can feel good about. Most people—myself included—have that pang of guilt when something goes wrong with a gadget and you have to trash it, and it's especially demoralizing when you know that things just don't have to be this way. Given the choice, I think most of us would just opt to buy a new battery over an entirely new speaker. Teufel might be demonic by name, but from what I'm seeing, the Mynd feels pretty saint-like.