AI for Humanity's Greatest Hits
2024's chart-topping successes in tech for good.
Spotify Wrapped has become an end-of-year staple, but let’s be honest — this year’s recap left many feeling a bit flat. So, I’ve curated a different list of hits for you. While your music roundup might have missed the beat, the AI-powered nonprofit (APN) world has been hitting all the right notes.
The numbers speak volumes: we are now tracking over 250 organizations deploying AI for good across 40+ countries. And just like any great playlist, a few breakthrough tracks stood out. Ready to press play on this year’s greatest hits?
Track 1: Adalat AI
After a decade of working with tech nonprofits, I can say this with confidence: Adalat AI's first-year impact is off the charts. What began as AI speech-to-text transcription software for Indian courtrooms has evolved into a complete justice tech stack, with live case management tools, mobile apps, and document scanning capabilities. Their software understands the nuances of legal language and local dialects, ensuring nothing gets lost in transcription.
Adalat AI started with one pilot state at the beginning of the year. They’re now in eight states covering approximately 15% of India's courtrooms — bringing hope to millions waiting for justice in a system backlogged by 50M cases — and expanding to Ghana. The tech world is taking notice too. Fast Company named them one of the four best international tech innovations of the year, and they garnered prestigious awards and fellowships globally. Adalat AI is setting a powerful precedent for the future of legal tech.
Track 2: Ersilia
In the world of drug discovery, Ersilia is creating tools everyone can sample. Their AI-powered Model Hub democratizes access to cutting-edge drug discovery tools, emphasizing the importance of in-country research. Through this platform, researchers in low-resource settings can develop treatments for neglected diseases affecting millions.
2024 brought major validation. The UN designated Ersilia's platform as a Digital Public Good. Their novel AI methods generated highly potent antimalarial drug candidates, with over 50% proving effective in laboratory studies. Co-founders Gemma Turon and Miquel Duran-Frigola published in Nature. Most recently, through the Mozilla Builders Accelerator, they developed an LLM-powered lab assistant to make their tools even more accessible. As the platform evolves, so too does its ability to empower researchers worldwide.
Track 3: Climate TRACE
Climate TRACE just turned up the volume on turning down emissions. The coalition of over 100 organizations has created Earth's most comprehensive emissions monitoring system using satellites and AI. This data empowers governments and organizations to take targeted, effective action against climate change and harmful pollution.
This year, Climate TRACE accomplished the unprecedented: creating emissions inventories for over 70K local governments worldwide. That’s every state, province, and county in the world, plus the largest 9K cities. For 80% of these places, it's their first-ever glimpse into their carbon footprint. Climate TRACE co-founders Gavin McCormick and Al Gore presented their findings at COP29, showing the world what's possible when we dream big and measure bigger.
Quick Bytes
Builder Resources
Fast Forward launched the The Playbook on AI-Powered Nonprofits! The playbook explores the vast world of AI through a nonprofit lens. Which off-the-shelf models should your organization use? How are other nonprofits using AI? What does AI even mean for nonprofits? Check it out to find the answers to all your burning nonprofit-related AI questions.
Want to avoid walking the plank of AI hype? Tech Matters CEO Jim Fruchterman's new Nonprofit AI Treasure Map is gold. His key advice: start with admin tasks, be cautious with programs, and always pilot first.
Decoded Futures' AI Adoption in Nonprofits report maps the state of AI adoption in NYC nonprofits and shares useful learnings. And, in true experiment-with-AI fashion, you can engage with the report content as a podcast, as an interactive chatbot, or even as a playlist of AI-generated music.
The Eras Tour has ended, but The Agentic Era has just begun. CareerVillage founder Jared Chung’s new newsletter explores how autonomous AI agents will reshape the workforce. Understanding this next wave of AI innovation could reshape how you serve your communities. Subscribe to The Agentic Era here.
APN Funding News
Tech to the Rescue has opened applications for their latest AI for Changemakers cohort, focusing specifically on education nonprofits.
Dell is accepting applications to their AI Readiness for Nonprofits Pro Bono Consulting Workshop. The workshop aims to empower nonprofits to adopt AI solutions.
AWS committed $100M to tech nonprofits helping underserved students gain skills in AI, cloud computing, literacy, and more.
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