IDB Lab, held a regional call for open innovation on gender and artificial intelligence (AI) within the framework of its “fAIr LAC” initiative. This initiative is an alliance between the public and private sectors, civil society and academia to promote the responsible and ethical use of artificial intelligence with the aim of improving the delivery of social services. The call was aimed to address gender inequality gaps in the region in the areas of financial inclusion, health and well-being, and education and employment.

The call, which had the support of Accenture, AWS, Globant, Google for Startups, Microsoft, NTT Data Foundation, Oracle, Red Hat and SONDA, received a total of 66 proposals. The 11 selected proposals (detailed below) will initiate an eligibility and due diligence analysis process to potentially receive financing that allows them to implement their solution in one of the 26 IDB’s borrowing countries.
• Genomawork (Chile): Solution to promote diversity and labor inclusion in Latin America
• HiSofi (Brazil): Financial health portal
• Jobecam (Brazil): Automated platform to optimize employee recruitment
• Ethics (Mexico/Spain): Algorithmic audits to ensure data ethics
• Quipu Market (Colombia): Digital bank for the informal economy
• C-Minds (Mexico): Solution to improve the care economy
• Tirando por Colombia (Colombia): Solution for the prevention of adolescent pregnancy
• Quantil (Colombia): Solution for the development of AI models
• Thermy (Mexico): Medical device for image analysis
• Munay (Bolivia): Solution for the financial inclusion of women entrepreneurs
• Bancolombia (Colombia): Financial education solution for women.