Technology Salon DC was founded in 2007 by Wayan Vota and it is the largest Salon, with over 3,000 members that span the gamut of development and technology disciplines.
Salons serve as sounding board and focus group discussions for emerging topics in ICT for social change. We tackle tough topics in a safe space that sparks cross-sectoral learning. Our monthly meetings are driving policy and implementation decisions across international development. Be sure to sign up to get invited and RSVP quickly – we always have a wait list.
You can contact Wayan to suggest a topic or lead discussant for a future meeting.
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Our discussion of How to Assess Artificial Intelligence Impacts in International Development? at the recent Technology Salon DC had its very premise questioned at the start. We should not be asking how we can assess AI when international development organizations decide to adopt the new technology. We must start assessing AI now. Why? Because we…
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All the hype around artificial intelligence – including generative AI – really starts with “old school” machine learning. The grandest large language models are basically algorithms looking at reams of data. That means training data is key for any GenAI activity, and an AI activity. The most accomplished GenAI tools are software agents that return…
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Pop Quiz! Name all 9 Principles for Digital Development. Try to name them all right now and from your memory. No fair looking at the official list until you’ve exhausted your attempts. This is how we started the recent Technology Salon that asked, “Can the Principles for Digital Development be Improved?” The Principles for Digital…
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The recent Technology Salon on How to Counter Malign Influences in Digital Development was a fascinating discussion that should start with the idea that we are mainly talking about the Chinese and Russian country governments. These governments may not reflect the will of its citizens, or even a majority of them, and the governments themselves…
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Our first in-person Technology Salon DC in three years convened on January 25, 2023, to pose the question: Can Generative Artificial Intelligence Technology Improve Aid Outcomes? Thought leaders and decision makers across the international development space shared their optimism, skepticism, and uncertainty regarding generative AI and its consequences as we move closer to the uncanny…
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Most government funded international development programs start with a Request for Proposal (RFP) that has to follow strict government procurement processes. These systems are designed to protect taxpayer money from waste and fraud and generate very detailed proposals. However, this very focus on risk aversion could actually be increasing the risk that humanitarian relief programing,…
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The digital development field has consistently focused on improving female access to technology and related services across low- and middle-income countries. With over 250 million more women owning a mobile phone as compared to 2014, there has been considerable progress. Yet, the importance of female representation in leadership has become even clearer. A recent study indicated that…
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The coronavirus pandemic is creating unprecedented food insecurity around the world. The World Food Programme estimates that the number of people facing acute hunger will double to 265 million in 2020. This global challenge comes on top of existing vulnerabilities including conflict, climate change and economic crises compounded by long-standing social and structural discrimination based…
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This is shaping up to be a pivotal year in US politics. We are all experts in behavior change, change management, governance, accountability, civil society, and a host of other skills and activities that can strengthen democratic processes and bring change here at home. In our recent Technology Salon on How to Use Your International…
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As the United States withdraws from the Paris Climate Agreement, we are inundated daily with news of how the climate crisis is escalating. It can be argued that climate change cuts across multiple sectors in the ICT4D community. Our work in areas such as health, agriculture, and emergency response, may mitigate the impacts of climate…
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We all talk about encouraging entrepreneurship in developing countries. Yet how many of us have launched our own business, or spun off an initiative from our employer into its own organization? The startup life is hard, despite all the hype about venture capital funding and million-dollar exits. In the USA, only 50% of startups survive…
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Currently, over two billion people worldwide live in fragile, violent and conflict-affected (FCV) environments. Furthermore, according to the World Bank, the share of the extreme poor living in conflict-affected situations is expected to rise above 50% by 2030. FCV environments dramatically impact development outcomes as conflicts drive 80% of all humanitarian needs – yet it…
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The terms Civic Tech and GovTech have rapidly gained popularity over the past few years. Our recent Technology Salon – What Technology Approaches Improve Governance and Civic Engagement? – explored how digital tools and solutions can be used to further improve governance and citizen engagement. We had a lively discussion, informed by four thought leaders…
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This year’s technology buzz word is artificial intelligence, which means you’ve already been asked how your organization can incorporate AI and machine learning in your programs. Hopefully, you answered with this. Or you could be more serious and reply that we all already are using aspects of AI to augment and enhance, not replace, activities…
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Our technology for development specialty is changing. Macro forces like reduced government funding and PEPFAR’s push to local organizations are intersecting with increased local capacity and robust commercial solutions, forcing us to consider a post-ICT4D world. This inspired a Technology Salon asking, “What does the future of ICT4D look like?”, where we had a lively…
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Remember when you saw your first geospatial visualization in international development? How amazed you were that satellite maps of the earth could show impact data in a new, clearer way than before? Wait till you see where we are now with game-changing innovations like: Mapping changes at the village level with unmanned aerial vehicles. Visualizing…
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We in the international development sector often have this perception that the private sector is way more advanced than we in the collection, analysis, and use of user data. That somehow Facebook, Google, and every Mobile Network Operator has a God-like dashboard that instantly displays every data point and trend imaginable, at the touch of…
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The General Data Protection Regulation is coming on May 25th and you should be worried. If you operate in the EU or focus on EU-based clients, then the sweeping new data protection law will apply to you, with multi-million dollar fines per violation. It mandates that we will need to be clear and concise about…
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Penny Mordaunt, the UK International Development Secretary, is warning that 2018 will be the worst for humanitarian crises since the Second World War. Simmering conflict is destroying communities in Syria, Congo, Yemen, South Sudan, Myanmar… and the list goes on. Then there will be the inevitable natural disasters that will create new crisis-affected communities. We…
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Quickly messaging people via computing technology is not a new activity. Internet Relay Chat (IRC) started in 1988, and we’ve gone through messaging service peaks with AOL, Yahoo, Blackberry, and SMS. Now there is a new wave of messaging apps and it’s Facebook Messenger, Viber, Telegram, Signal and WhatsApp’s turn. As one participant said at…