In the final episode of Road to GEM, Harvard Kennedy School MPP candidate Slavina Ancheva speaks with Dr. Flavio du Pin Calmon, Associate Professor at Harvard SEAS, about the intersection of artificial intelligence, equity, and global development. Together, they explore how AI technologies can both bridge and deepen digital divides — especially in low-resource and underserved regions.
Dr. Calmon shares insights from his research on fairness, privacy, and reliability in machine learning systems. The conversation highlights critical challenges in ensuring that AI tools are not only effective but also ethical and inclusive. They discuss bias mitigation, the importance of diverse data representation, and the ways in which technical design must align with social and policy objectives.
For listeners working at the crossroads of tech, policy, and justice, this episode offers a nuanced look at how to build AI systems that reflect and respect global realities.
Guest: Dr. Flavio du Pin Calmon, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering, Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Host: Slavina Ancheva, Master in Public Policy Candidate, Harvard Kennedy School
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In the final episode of Road to GEM, Harvard Kennedy School MPP candidate Slavina Ancheva speaks with Dr. Flavio du Pin Calmon, Associate Professor at Harvard SEAS, about the intersection of artificial intelligence, equity, and global development. Together, they explore how AI technologies can both bridge and deepen digital divides — especially in low-resource and underserved regions.
Dr. Calmon shares insights from his research on fairness, privacy, and reliability in machine learning systems. The conversation highlights critical challenges in ensuring that AI tools are not only effective but also ethical and inclusive. They discuss bias mitigation, the importance of diverse data representation, and the ways in which technical design must align with social and policy objectives.
For listeners working at the crossroads of tech, policy, and justice, this episode offers a nuanced look at how to build AI systems that reflect and respect global realities.
Guest: Dr. Flavio du Pin Calmon, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering, Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Host: Slavina Ancheva, Master in Public Policy Candidate, Harvard Kennedy School
Algorithms and Inequality: Who Wins in the Age of AI?
Harvard Center for International Development
50 minutes 53 seconds
6 months ago
Algorithms and Inequality: Who Wins in the Age of AI?
In this episode of Road to GEM, Harvard Kennedy School’s Dr. Aarushi Jain speaks with Dr. Bhaskar Chakravorti, Dean of Global Business at Tufts University’s Fletcher School and Founding Director of Digital Planet, about the uneven global spread of artificial intelligence.
While AI holds promise for breakthroughs in healthcare, agriculture, education, and governance, Dr. Chakravorti sounds a note of caution: these benefits are far from equitably distributed. The conversation explores how AI is being built on deeply unequal data, why access and usage remain skewed across geographies, and how business models, environmental costs, and trust deficits might further widen the digital divide.
Drawing on insights from the Digital Evolution Index and years of work across policy, tech, and consulting, Dr. Chakravorti outlines six key divides shaping our AI future — data, income, usage, geography, production, and sustainability. He also shares tangible examples where AI can support smallholder farmers, underserved patients, and young learners, if deployed wisely.
This episode is a must-listen for anyone grappling with AI’s role in development, digital governance, and the urgent need to build inclusive systems before inequality becomes algorithmically entrenched.
Guest: Dr. Bhaskar Chakravorti, Dean of Global Business at The Fletcher School, Tufts University
Host: Dr. Aarushi Jain, Edward S. Mason Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School
Harvard Center for International Development
In the final episode of Road to GEM, Harvard Kennedy School MPP candidate Slavina Ancheva speaks with Dr. Flavio du Pin Calmon, Associate Professor at Harvard SEAS, about the intersection of artificial intelligence, equity, and global development. Together, they explore how AI technologies can both bridge and deepen digital divides — especially in low-resource and underserved regions.
Dr. Calmon shares insights from his research on fairness, privacy, and reliability in machine learning systems. The conversation highlights critical challenges in ensuring that AI tools are not only effective but also ethical and inclusive. They discuss bias mitigation, the importance of diverse data representation, and the ways in which technical design must align with social and policy objectives.
For listeners working at the crossroads of tech, policy, and justice, this episode offers a nuanced look at how to build AI systems that reflect and respect global realities.
Guest: Dr. Flavio du Pin Calmon, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering, Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Host: Slavina Ancheva, Master in Public Policy Candidate, Harvard Kennedy School
