Deploying AI in Global Health: Partnerships, Power, and Public Value

Hosted by the Harvard Global Health Institute and co-organized by the Center for Bioethics at Harvard Medical School.

As artificial intelligence expands across global health, a new wave of partnerships between technology companies, philanthropies, and governments is reshaping how AI is deployed in low-resource settings. Initiatives such as the OpenAI-Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Horizon1000 Partnership and a recent memorandum of understanding between the government of Rwanda and Anthropic, aim to accelerate AI adoption across sectors.

This webinar will examine the opportunities and tensions surrounding global AI deployment through the lens of Rwanda. The panel will bring together a leading researcher on AI governance and safety and one of the architects of Rwanda’s national AI strategy. They will reflect on practical insights that can inform how governments and funders can build equitable and locally driven partnerships to deploy AI-driven innovation in global health.

This event is free and open to the public. 

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Speakers

Chinasa T. Okolo, Ph.D.
Founder and Scientific Director, Technecultura

Chinasa T. Okolo, Ph.D., is the Founder of Technecultura, a Policy Specialist at the United Nations Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies (ODET), and a recent Computer Science Ph.D. graduate from Cornell University. Her research focuses on AI governance and safety for the Global Majority, datafication and algorithmic marginalization, and the geopolitical impacts of AI. Dr. Okolo has been recognized as one of the world’s most influential people in AI by TIME, honored in the inaugural Forbes 30 Under 30 AI list, and advises numerous multilateral institutions, national governments, corporations, and nonprofits. She is a former Fellow at the Brookings Institution and has worked in research-based roles at Apple and Microsoft. Her research has been covered widely in media outlets and published at top-tier venues in human-computer interaction and sociotechnical computing. Learn more about Dr. Chinasa T. Okolo at www.chinasatokolo.com.

Esther Kunda
Director General, Innovation & Emerging Technologies, Ministry of Information Communication Technology (ICT) and Innovation of Rwanda

Esther Kunda is the Director General in charge of Innovation and Emerging Technologies at the Ministry of ICT and Innovation where she drives policy initiatives and interventions to support the Rwandan innovation ecosystem and development of new emerging technologies in the country. She recently spearheaded key initiatives such as the National AI policy, the fintech strategy, and Hanga Pitchfest, among others. She is also a councilor representing Rwanda in the ITU Council. Before joining the Ministry of ICT and Innovation, Esther Kunda was the Policy, Innovation and Community of Scientists Manager at the Next Einstein Forum (NEF). She managed the development of NEF policy initiatives and worked closely with the NEF Community of Scientists on science engagement activities, such as the NEF Africa Science Week across Africa. Before joining NEF, she was at Intel as Education Support Manager and as product development for Tigo Rwanda. She has experience in product development, business strategy, policy and innovation.

About the Global Health Coffee Sessions

The Global Health Coffee Sessions is a virtual series of timely conversations on wide-ranging topics at the intersection of health, policy, and global cooperation. The series brings together global health experts, policymakers, and practitioners from Harvard and beyond for dynamic, forward-looking discussions.

All sessions are hosted virtually via Zoom, recorded, and available afterward on our YouTube Channel.

The Harvard Global Health Institute provides a platform for different perspectives and debates within the field of global health through a variety of media. The views expressed in these events and programs are solely those of the speakers, authors, researchers, and participating audience. As such, they do not speak for the institute or the university.