The Hero Awards, in collaboration with Afghan Women Rising, are constructing what they describe as the world's largest 'solution engine' for the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). According to CIO John Toomey, each of the UN's 169 targets under the larger goals is being converted into a prompt for AI bots, starting with platforms like OpenAI's GPTs, Gemini's Gems, and Claude Artifacts, and evolving into full-fledged AI assistants that can continuously update themselves and execute actionable workflows to advance the Goals.
A significant portion of the work is being carried out by members of Afghan Women Rising, young women in Afghanistan who are denied formal education under the Taliban-led government. These women build the bots online and then hold in-person discussions to refine the prompts, adding a human element to the AI development process. Program Director Amy Chang notes that 'having these girls design the prompts allows them to sidestep the ban against schooling,' providing them with valuable experience in building projects that contribute to sustainability both in and outside Afghanistan.
The development of these protocols has been inspired by the writings of J. Kutcher, particularly her metaphor of garden plant growth representing the spiritual, emotional, and intellectual development of young women. Upon completion, each protocol is eligible for a Hero Award, which requires suggesting previously unknown strategies for advancing the UN targets. Successful efforts are publicized on The Hero Awards website and in press releases.
Since the program's announcement six months ago, other organizations from the Global South have requested involvement and will be included in future iterations. These include the PARI People's Archive of Rural India, which serves underserved populations in rural India; Siku.org, a non-profit for First Nations in the Canadian Arctic and Greenland; Cybersmartafrica.org, a group of teachers and students in Senegal preserving local cultures and improving digital literacy; Terrastories, an open-source application for South American and Amazonian indigenous communities to map and share oral histories; and Winyama, an Australian indigenous group using cultural mapping to document Dreamtime stories and biological data.
June Hero Award winners include Tara Jensen, Maria Ortiz, Herman Matsui, and Wilhelmina Searles. More information is available on their Substack at theheroaward.substack.com and via their LinkedIn group at linkedin.com/groups/14292380/. The UN Goals and Targets can be referenced at sdgs.un.org/goals.
