Tech finalists representing California, Missouri, New York, and Washington, D.C. emerged to promote the use of AI as a tool to combat poverty by fueling opportunity. Each finalist receives $100,000 and will compete for the Challenge’s crowning achievement – three $1 million awards across three categories.
NEW YORK, NY – September 16, 2024 – Robin Hood today announced nine organizations from three states and the District of Columbia have moved into the finalist stage of its AI Poverty Challenge, a national competition to advance effective, responsible, and equitable uses of machine learning and artificial intelligence. The nine finalists emerge from a pool of nearly 200 applicants across 21 states. Each finalist receives a $100,000 award and an opportunity to further compete for one of three winning spots of $1 million each in the focus areas of Education, Workforce, and Financial Empowerment.
The Challenge is made possible through a partnership with the GitLab Foundation, the Bezos Family Foundation, and Deloitte. It was originally announced by Paul Tudor Jones II, Robin Hood’s founder, and Alexis Ohanian, a Robin Hood board member at its February 2024 Robin Hood Opportunity x AI Summit.
“There is no question that AI is fundamentally transforming our world. But it is still an open question whether those changes will benefit or further burden those who are already excluded from economic opportunity. And too few of the organizations and leaders on the frontlines of fighting poverty are well-positioned to influence how AI is developed or to harness its potential. That’s why we launched the AI Poverty Challenge.” said Richard R. Buery, Jr. CEO of Robin Hood. “This Challenge represents a new frontier of hope as we explore how machine learning and the AI revolution can be a force fueling upward mobility. Our finalists have been through a rigorous scoring and review process administered by a panel of 100 judges selected for their areas of expertise, including people who have experienced poverty and those who support them. We are excited to see how the work of the finalists evolves in the months and years to come.”
During the Winter of 2024/25, these finalists will be evaluated on their progress toward actualizing their vision for viable, transformative, and sustainable AI-based solutions to poverty. From this pool, three winners will be selected to receive the final awards of $1 million each.
Read the full press release and meet our finalists here.
