Bridging Global and Local Gaps - AI for Equality 2024

In a year marked by global challenges, the AI for Equality 2024 initiative united participants from 18 countries to tackle critical gaps in technology and equity. Organized by HerWILL and AI4OPT, the program brought together students, researchers, and professionals to address real-world challenges in artificial intelligence while advancing ethical AI practices.

Program Overview

Technical Workshops

Four interactive sessions aimed at advancing AI expertise

Global Datathon

A 10-day competition addressing gender bias in the text

Workshop Overview

The workshops were designed to be both accessible and impactful, catering to participants from diverse educational backgrounds. For instance, 85% of attendees reported a significant improvement in their Python programming proficiency, with average post-workshop ratings rising from 2.5/5 to 4/5. The sessions on Machine Learning and Neural Networks equipped 78% of participants with the confidence to apply basic neural network models, demonstrating a clear advancement in their technical capabilities.

Moreover, the workshops on Large Language Models (LLMs) and Strategic AI Project Development enabled participants to explore AI's transformative potential in sectors like healthcare and education. These sessions were instrumental in not only enhancing technical knowledge but also in encouraging participants to think strategically about the application of AI in solving complex societal issues.

Overall View of Our "AI for Equality" Workshops

Participation Against Extraordinary Circumstances

The program saw 825 participants, including notable contributions from countries facing significant instability like Syria and Bangladesh.

Syria: Despite ongoing conflict and displacement, participants from refugee camps overcame limited resources to engage in the Datathon. Their involvement highlights the determination of individuals to pursue education and contribute to cutting-edge AI innovation, even under extreme conditions.
Bangladesh: In the aftermath of the July Revolution, Bangladeshi students demonstrated resilience by engaging in the initiative. Their success, including placing among the top winners, is a testament to the potential of youth to rise above national crises and contribute to global progress.

Bridging Global Expertise and Local Gaps

AI for Equality 2024 demonstrated how international expertise can complement local needs, addressing disparities in access to technology education and opportunities.

Workshops That Close Skill Gaps

Four workshops led by experts from institutions like Georgia Tech, MIT, and UC Berkeley provided participants with foundational and advanced skills in AI, including Python programming, machine learning, and large language models.

85% of participants reported improved proficiency, with many expressing interest in pursuing careers in AI.
These sessions bridged gaps for participants without prior experience, emphasizing accessibility and inclusion in technology education.

A Datathon for Real-World Impact

The 10-day Datathon challenged participants to develop AI models to detect gender bias in text. Using HerWILL’s synthetic dataset and the innovative F1NOP metric, the event promoted the creation of efficient and ethical AI solutions. Judges from leading institutions, including UC Berkeley and Georgia Tech, assessed not only technical performance but also communication and collaboration skills.

WhatsApp Image 2025-01-21 at 10.12.37 PM.jpeg

Overall View of Our "AI for Equality" Workshops

825

Program Participants

Story In Numbers

152

Datathon Contestants

117

Participating Universities

59

Cities

17

Countries

4

Workshops

6

Top Performers

3

Winners

Our Datathon 2024 Winners

Workshops: Building Global AI Expertise

The workshops ran from October 11 to 19, 2024, providing cutting-edge training on:

Python Essentials: Introducing foundational skills for AI development.
Machine Learning & Neural Networks: Covering essential AI techniques for real-world applications.
Large Language Models (LLMs): Exploring their transformative potential in critical sectors like healthcare and education.
Strategic Planning for Datathon: Equipping participants to lead data-driven projects collaboratively.

Workshop Instructors

Dr. Rabab Haider is an Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor.
Her research explores the design and operation of energy systems under deep decarbonization. I develop tools in the domains of physics-informed machine learning, distributed intelligence for grid-edge devices, and the design of future electricity markets. She was previously a MIT Energy Fellow (2022), MathWorks-MIT Mechanical Engineering Fellow (2021), and received the Hansen Fellowship (2018). In recognition of my research and community contributions to sustainability, I have been awarded the Raj V Tahil Fellowship Fund Award (2021) and Aarav Amar Bajpayee Memorial Prize (2023)

Reza is a Research Engineer II in H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISyE) at Georgia Tech. He earned his Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering from Georgia Tech in 2023, focusing on developing ML methods for inverse design and knowledge discovery in nanophotonics, as well as enhancing human-machine cooperation for medical image analysis. In his current role at AI4OPT, he is focused on developing trustworthy AI methods that enable reliable and efficient decision-making within the engineering and healthcare fields.

Dr. Jin Xu is a researcher in AI + Robotics at Georgia Tech. He is passionate about building AI systems in both the virtual world (AI Agents) and in the physical world (a.k.a Embodied AI or robots). His current research interests are at the intersection of Human-AI Interaction, Conversational AI, VR/AR/MR, and, Multi-agent Reinforcement Learning. He earned my Ph.D. in Robotics from Georgia Tech. Previously, he was a Robotics Technical Fellow in the Advanced Technology Group at UPS, where I conducted applied research on the applications of robotics and automation and led strategic initiatives and roadmaps for various robotics projects for UPS R&D, including robotics simulation/digital twin, automated truck loading and unloading systems, and humanoid robots. He also spent time at Ohio State University working on ‘robots in the wild’ project.

Thomas is a Ph.D. student in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Georgia Tech. As a Graduate Research Assistant at the NSF AI Institute for Advances in Optimization (AI4OPT), his research is focused on the intersection of machine learning and natural language processing for enabling trustworthy decision-making and information retrieval.

Mr. Noor Mairukh Khan Arnob is a researcher in the field of Generative AI. He is currently working as a Lecturer at the department of CSE, University of Asia Pacific. The goal of Mr. Arnob's research work is to contribute towards building a more fair and inclusive society. He has 4 published research articles in well-reputed journals. His research interests lie in Computer Vision, Natural Language Processing, Generative Models(DDPM and GAN), Ethics, Bias and Fairness of LLMs.

Dr. Rabab Haider is an Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor.
Her research explores the design and operation of energy systems under deep decarbonization. I develop tools in the domains of physics-informed machine learning, distributed intelligence for grid-edge devices, and the design of future electricity markets. She was previously a MIT Energy Fellow (2022), MathWorks-MIT Mechanical Engineering Fellow (2021), and received the Hansen Fellowship (2018). In recognition of my research and community contributions to sustainability, I have been awarded the Raj V Tahil Fellowship Fund Award (2021) and Aarav Amar Bajpayee Memorial Prize (2023)

Reza is a Research Engineer II in H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISyE) at Georgia Tech. He earned his Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering from Georgia Tech in 2023, focusing on developing ML methods for inverse design and knowledge discovery in nanophotonics, as well as enhancing human-machine cooperation for medical image analysis. In his current role at AI4OPT, he is focused on developing trustworthy AI methods that enable reliable and efficient decision-making within the engineering and healthcare fields.

Dr. Jin Xu is a researcher in AI + Robotics at Georgia Tech. He is passionate about building AI systems in both the virtual world (AI Agents) and in the physical world (a.k.a Embodied AI or robots). His current research interests are at the intersection of Human-AI Interaction, Conversational AI, VR/AR/MR, and, Multi-agent Reinforcement Learning. He earned my Ph.D. in Robotics from Georgia Tech. Previously, he was a Robotics Technical Fellow in the Advanced Technology Group at UPS, where I conducted applied research on the applications of robotics and automation and led strategic initiatives and roadmaps for various robotics projects for UPS R&D, including robotics simulation/digital twin, automated truck loading and unloading systems, and humanoid robots. He also spent time at Ohio State University working on ‘robots in the wild’ project.

Thomas is a Ph.D. student in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Georgia Tech. As a Graduate Research Assistant at the NSF AI Institute for Advances in Optimization (AI4OPT), his research is focused on the intersection of machine learning and natural language processing for enabling trustworthy decision-making and information retrieval.

Mr. Noor Mairukh Khan Arnob is a researcher in the field of Generative AI. He is currently working as a Lecturer at the department of CSE, University of Asia Pacific. The goal of Mr. Arnob's research work is to contribute towards building a more fair and inclusive society. He has 4 published research articles in well-reputed journals. His research interests lie in Computer Vision, Natural Language Processing, Generative Models(DDPM and GAN), Ethics, Bias and Fairness of LLMs.

Dr. Rabab Haider is an Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor.
Her research explores the design and operation of energy systems under deep decarbonization. I develop tools in the domains of physics-informed machine learning, distributed intelligence for grid-edge devices, and the design of future electricity markets. She was previously a MIT Energy Fellow (2022), MathWorks-MIT Mechanical Engineering Fellow (2021), and received the Hansen Fellowship (2018). In recognition of my research and community contributions to sustainability, I have been awarded the Raj V Tahil Fellowship Fund Award (2021) and Aarav Amar Bajpayee Memorial Prize (2023)

Reza is a Research Engineer II in H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISyE) at Georgia Tech. He earned his Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering from Georgia Tech in 2023, focusing on developing ML methods for inverse design and knowledge discovery in nanophotonics, as well as enhancing human-machine cooperation for medical image analysis. In his current role at AI4OPT, he is focused on developing trustworthy AI methods that enable reliable and efficient decision-making within the engineering and healthcare fields.

Dr. Jin Xu is a researcher in AI + Robotics at Georgia Tech. He is passionate about building AI systems in both the virtual world (AI Agents) and in the physical world (a.k.a Embodied AI or robots). His current research interests are at the intersection of Human-AI Interaction, Conversational AI, VR/AR/MR, and, Multi-agent Reinforcement Learning. He earned my Ph.D. in Robotics from Georgia Tech. Previously, he was a Robotics Technical Fellow in the Advanced Technology Group at UPS, where I conducted applied research on the applications of robotics and automation and led strategic initiatives and roadmaps for various robotics projects for UPS R&D, including robotics simulation/digital twin, automated truck loading and unloading systems, and humanoid robots. He also spent time at Ohio State University working on ‘robots in the wild’ project.

Mr. Noor Mairukh Khan Arnob is a researcher in the field of Generative AI. He is currently working as a Lecturer at the department of CSE, University of Asia Pacific. The goal of Mr. Arnob's research work is to contribute towards building a more fair and inclusive society. He has 4 published research articles in well-reputed journals. His research interests lie in Computer Vision, Natural Language Processing, Generative Models(DDPM and GAN), Ethics, Bias and Fairness of LLMs.

Dr. Rabab Haider is an Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor.
Her research explores the design and operation of energy systems under deep decarbonization. I develop tools in the domains of physics-informed machine learning, distributed intelligence for grid-edge devices, and the design of future electricity markets. She was previously a MIT Energy Fellow (2022), MathWorks-MIT Mechanical Engineering Fellow (2021), and received the Hansen Fellowship (2018). In recognition of my research and community contributions to sustainability, I have been awarded the Raj V Tahil Fellowship Fund Award (2021) and Aarav Amar Bajpayee Memorial Prize (2023)

Reza is a Research Engineer II in H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISyE) at Georgia Tech. He earned his Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering from Georgia Tech in 2023, focusing on developing ML methods for inverse design and knowledge discovery in nanophotonics, as well as enhancing human-machine cooperation for medical image analysis. In his current role at AI4OPT, he is focused on developing trustworthy AI methods that enable reliable and efficient decision-making within the engineering and healthcare fields.

Dr. Jin Xu is a researcher in AI + Robotics at Georgia Tech. He is passionate about building AI systems in both the virtual world (AI Agents) and in the physical world (a.k.a Embodied AI or robots). His current research interests are at the intersection of Human-AI Interaction, Conversational AI, VR/AR/MR, and, Multi-agent Reinforcement Learning. He earned my Ph.D. in Robotics from Georgia Tech. Previously, he was a Robotics Technical Fellow in the Advanced Technology Group at UPS, where I conducted applied research on the applications of robotics and automation and led strategic initiatives and roadmaps for various robotics projects for UPS R&D, including robotics simulation/digital twin, automated truck loading and unloading systems, and humanoid robots. He also spent time at Ohio State University working on ‘robots in the wild’ project.

Mr. Noor Mairukh Khan Arnob is a researcher in the field of Generative AI. He is currently working as a Lecturer at the department of CSE, University of Asia Pacific. The goal of Mr. Arnob's research work is to contribute towards building a more fair and inclusive society. He has 4 published research articles in well-reputed journals. His research interests lie in Computer Vision, Natural Language Processing, Generative Models(DDPM and GAN), Ethics, Bias and Fairness of LLMs.

Dr. Rabab Haider is an Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor.
Her research explores the design and operation of energy systems under deep decarbonization. I develop tools in the domains of physics-informed machine learning, distributed intelligence for grid-edge devices, and the design of future electricity markets. She was previously a MIT Energy Fellow (2022), MathWorks-MIT Mechanical Engineering Fellow (2021), and received the Hansen Fellowship (2018). In recognition of my research and community contributions to sustainability, I have been awarded the Raj V Tahil Fellowship Fund Award (2021) and Aarav Amar Bajpayee Memorial Prize (2023)

Reza is a Research Engineer II in H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISyE) at Georgia Tech. He earned his Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering from Georgia Tech in 2023, focusing on developing ML methods for inverse design and knowledge discovery in nanophotonics, as well as enhancing human-machine cooperation for medical image analysis. In his current role at AI4OPT, he is focused on developing trustworthy AI methods that enable reliable and efficient decision-making within the engineering and healthcare fields.

Dr. Jin Xu is a researcher in AI + Robotics at Georgia Tech. He is passionate about building AI systems in both the virtual world (AI Agents) and in the physical world (a.k.a Embodied AI or robots). His current research interests are at the intersection of Human-AI Interaction, Conversational AI, VR/AR/MR, and, Multi-agent Reinforcement Learning. He earned my Ph.D. in Robotics from Georgia Tech. Previously, he was a Robotics Technical Fellow in the Advanced Technology Group at UPS, where I conducted applied research on the applications of robotics and automation and led strategic initiatives and roadmaps for various robotics projects for UPS R&D, including robotics simulation/digital twin, automated truck loading and unloading systems, and humanoid robots. He also spent time at Ohio State University working on ‘robots in the wild’ project.

Mr. Noor Mairukh Khan Arnob is a researcher in the field of Generative AI. He is currently working as a Lecturer at the department of CSE, University of Asia Pacific. The goal of Mr. Arnob's research work is to contribute towards building a more fair and inclusive society. He has 4 published research articles in well-reputed journals. His research interests lie in Computer Vision, Natural Language Processing, Generative Models(DDPM and GAN), Ethics, Bias and Fairness of LLMs.

Dr. Rabab Haider is an Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor.
Her research explores the design and operation of energy systems under deep decarbonization. I develop tools in the domains of physics-informed machine learning, distributed intelligence for grid-edge devices, and the design of future electricity markets. She was previously a MIT Energy Fellow (2022), MathWorks-MIT Mechanical Engineering Fellow (2021), and received the Hansen Fellowship (2018). In recognition of my research and community contributions to sustainability, I have been awarded the Raj V Tahil Fellowship Fund Award (2021) and Aarav Amar Bajpayee Memorial Prize (2023)

Reza is a Research Engineer II in H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISyE) at Georgia Tech. He earned his Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering from Georgia Tech in 2023, focusing on developing ML methods for inverse design and knowledge discovery in nanophotonics, as well as enhancing human-machine cooperation for medical image analysis. In his current role at AI4OPT, he is focused on developing trustworthy AI methods that enable reliable and efficient decision-making within the engineering and healthcare fields.

Dr. Jin Xu is a researcher in AI + Robotics at Georgia Tech. He is passionate about building AI systems in both the virtual world (AI Agents) and in the physical world (a.k.a Embodied AI or robots). His current research interests are at the intersection of Human-AI Interaction, Conversational AI, VR/AR/MR, and, Multi-agent Reinforcement Learning. He earned my Ph.D. in Robotics from Georgia Tech. Previously, he was a Robotics Technical Fellow in the Advanced Technology Group at UPS, where I conducted applied research on the applications of robotics and automation and led strategic initiatives and roadmaps for various robotics projects for UPS R&D, including robotics simulation/digital twin, automated truck loading and unloading systems, and humanoid robots. He also spent time at Ohio State University working on ‘robots in the wild’ project.

Mr. Noor Mairukh Khan Arnob is a researcher in the field of Generative AI. He is currently working as a Lecturer at the department of CSE, University of Asia Pacific. The goal of Mr. Arnob's research work is to contribute towards building a more fair and inclusive society. He has 4 published research articles in well-reputed journals. His research interests lie in Computer Vision, Natural Language Processing, Generative Models(DDPM and GAN), Ethics, Bias and Fairness of LLMs.

Datathon Judges

HerWILL’s 2024 Datathon Judges are leaders and innovators committed to fostering inclusivity and advancing opportunities for women and underrepresented youth in Data Science & AI.