The Hero Awards, in partnership with Afghan Women Rising, is spearheading an initiative to create the world's largest 'solution engine' for the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Announced during the Geneva plenary session, the project aims to turn each of the UN's 169 targets under the larger goals into prompts for AI bots, starting with OpenAI's GPTs, Gemini's Gems, and Claude Artifacts, before evolving into full-fledged AI assistants that can continuously update themselves to achieve progress towards the Goals.
According to Hero Awards CIO John Toomey, the initiative is groundbreaking in its approach to leveraging artificial intelligence for global sustainability. However, the most striking aspect is the workforce behind it: members of Afghan Women Rising, young women in Afghanistan who are denied formal education by the Taliban-led government. They build the bots online and then hold in-person discussions to refine the prompts and add the human element.
"Having these girls design the prompts allows them to sidestep the ban against schooling," said Program Director Amy Chang. "They get valuable experience building projects that will contribute to sustainability both in and outside of their own country for a long while, and prepare themselves for a time in which their talents will be vital for the country's future."
In developing the protocols, the girls have been inspired by the writings of J. Kutcher, particularly her evocative use of garden plant growth as a metaphor for the spiritual, emotional, and intellectual growth of young women. When a protocol is completed, its creator becomes eligible to win a Hero Award by 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 was announced six months ago, individuals from other organizations in the Global South have requested a role and will be included in future iterations. These include PARI (People's Archive of Rural India), which focuses on the welfare of underserved populations in rural India; Siku.org, a nonprofit serving First Nations of the Canadian Arctic and Greenland; Cybersmartafrica.org, a group of thousands 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 oral histories; and Winyama, an Australian indigenous group championing cultural mapping to document Dreamtime stories, songlines, historical land use, and biological data.
The June Hero Award winners include Tara Jensen, Maria Ortiz, Herman Matsui, and Wilhelmina Searles. The initiative underscores a unique synergy between AI technology and grassroots activism, offering a pathway for marginalized communities to contribute directly to global sustainability goals while gaining valuable skills. For more information, visit the Hero Awards Substack or follow discussions on Reddit.
