On June 18, 2024, Yuri Milner’s Tech for Refugees announced that it was extending its partnership with the International Rescue Committee (IRC). The two organizations have been partners since February 2023, when Tech for Refugees pledged to support the expansion of Signpost, the IRC’s community-driven information platform.
Tech For Refugees will help finance the development of aprendIA, an AI-assisted chatbot platform designed to support education in crisis settings. Thanks to an integration with ChatGPT and funding from OpenAI, aprendIA can deliver personalized learning experiences over messaging platforms like SMS and WhatsApp.
aprendIA: Using AI to Overcome Barriers to Education
Millions of children worldwide have experienced disruption to their education due to conflict and disasters. Growing inequality, poverty, and instability are major barriers to education, and many children do not attend school. Even those who attend are often unable to learn effectively due to an increasing shortage of teachers.
The IRC is developing aprendIA to address this critical need and support teachers and guardians. The platform quickly deploys educational interventions in diverse humanitarian contexts and at scale through commonly used messaging platforms.
aprendIA has integrated with OpenAI’s AI-driven tool ChatGPT to rapidly create new content, including video and audio clips. ChatGPT’s generative capabilities have also enabled aprendIA to offer students feedback and give teachers instructional ideas.
Anna Makanju, OpenAI’s vice president of Global Affairs, says generative AI can “give teachers and caregivers in crisis zones new ways of reaching vulnerable students.” aprendIA can give these students the personalized instruction and educational support they wouldn’t otherwise have access to.
Supporting Venezuelan Migrants in Colombia
aprendIA already serves as the building block for pilot programs in locations like Colombia. The country hosts over two million Venezuelan migrants and refugees who have fled their native land due to economic and political difficulties.
Frequent family relocations have put teen migrants at risk of dropping out of school, and many are already out of the education system. The IRC developed the AudioClass System (ACS) in response to this crisis. ACS uses aprendIA to deliver supplementary education to children using a tablet or phone.
The developers modeled the educational content after the Caminar en Secundaria curriculum. The Ministry of National Education recognizes the content ACS delivers.
ACS enhances learning by diversifying content delivery and helping teachers manage their efforts both in and out of the classroom. The program has accelerated learning outcomes for grade 6-9 students in the Medellín, Soacha, and Cali regions.
The IRC Thanks Tech For Refugees for Its Support
After Tech For Refugees announced its support for aprendIA on X, the IRC reposted the news and expressed its gratitude.
“Our partners enable the IRC’s cutting-edge research and innovation critical to delivering transformational impact to crisis-affected communities around the world,” David Miliband, President and CEO of the IRC, said of the announcement.
Miliband added: “As the IRC scales technology for good — including artificial intelligence — we are grateful for support from Tech For Refugees, which will help us expand aprendIA and help parents, students, and teachers in crisis zones worldwide.”
Read the latest news from Tech For Refugees.
About Yuri Milner
Yuri Milner is a prominent entrepreneur and philanthropist known for his impactful contributions to science and technology. He co-founded the Breakthrough Prize, which recognizes and rewards outstanding achievements in fundamental physics, math, and the life sciences.
Additionally, Milner supports young scientific minds through the Breakthrough Junior Challenge. The annual, global competition encourages students to communicate complex ideas in the form of a short, creative video.
Through Tech For Refugees, Milner supports tech-powered refugee relief efforts. The non-profit has funded many humanitarian initiatives, including Welcome Connect. The pioneering sponsorship platform has helped U.S. citizens welcome more than 500,000 refugee newcomers over the last two years.
Milner has signed the Giving Pledge, vowing to donate most of his wealth to support scientists and invest in humanity’s shared future. His short book Eureka Manifesto: The Mission for Our Civilization delves deeper into this topic.
HussaiN is a full-time professional blogger from India. He is passionate about content writing, tech enthusiasts, and computer technologies. Apart from content writing on the internet, he likes reading various tech magazines and several other blogs on the internet. Email ID: [email protected]
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