Meet Mozilla's innovator awardees

Meet the Innovators Transforming the Internet and AI: Mozilla Awardees

Mozilla Awards support projects that address the most pressing challenges facing the internet and its users. We empower innovators and leaders who make the internet more open, inclusive, decentralized, and secure.

Recently, we sat down with awardee Duduetsang Mokoele to talk about her new film “Mind the People,” which documents South Africans living at the extreme poverty line ($1.33 USD per person per day) and their maddening, heartbreaking encounters with the state’s welfare algorithm.

1. How can we ensure that the development of AI technologies is inclusive and supports the needs of diverse communities?

Technology companies and governments must genuinely consult communities impacted by their technology. In my career, I have come across communities that have been "consulted" in what was really a box-ticking exercise. Instead, these entities need to engage with people based on their specific needs and locations - especially marginalized communities that may not be well-represented in data. They have to be open to feedback and willing to adapt and make changes.

2. What role does your documentary play in achieving inclusive, trustworthy AI?

I hope that decision-makers who watch the documentary are not defensive, but instead are inspired to think about AI differently. AI should enhance the wellbeing of the target population, not undermine it. Even one person unfairly excluded from social benefits is too many, especially when dealing with vulnerable populations at risk of hunger and homelessness. As the South African government expands its use of AI in public services, the Department of Social Development and the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) have a unique opportunity to set an example of what trustworthy AI looks like.

3. What are some examples of trustworthy AI, aside from your own work, that you're most excited about?

I am excited about AI projects that are deeply rooted in local contexts and address specific community problems. For example, fellow Mradi grantee Min’enhle Ncube’s research on maternal health AI in Africa questions the dominant epistemologies and their implications, pushing for more inclusive perspectives. Similarly, Joseph Chizongo’s work on disability justice emphasizes the importance of considering the needs of disabled individuals from the outset, offering practical solutions for navigating a world designed for the able-bodied.

More from our awardees

Take Action

Donate and help fund the work of our awardees

What We’re Reading:

What our researchers, grantees and staff are reading this month:

Google’s aim to reduce climate footprint is in jeopardy, emissions climb nearly 50% in five years due to AI energy demand (The Guardian)

Meta ordered to stop training its AI on Brazilian personal data (The Verge)

OpenAI expands lobbying team to influence regulation (Financial Times)

Meta’s Pay-for-Privacy Model Is Illegal, Says EU (Wired)

LOLERCOPTER 🚁

🔥posts that made us laugh