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Check out these AI- and tech-focused sessions at the European Evaluation Society Conference in September

by Daniel Ramirez

Interest in artificial intelligence (AI) has been growing in the nonprofit and philanthropic communities over the past decade. Yet AI adoption has been hampered by lack of capacity, low trust, ethical concerns, affordability, absence of applicable use cases, and multiple other barriers.

In an effort to navigate this tension, over the past year, the MERL Tech Natural Language Processing Community of Practice (NLP-CoP) has been learning and sharing about what emerging AI tools can offer to monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning (MERL).

At this year’s EES Biennial Conference, we will lead multiple sessions and workshops, in which we’ll share our findings and host dynamic conversations with other EES conference-goers.

NLP-CoP Member-led Workshops on AI:

Workshop: Causal Mapping with Simple Tools

Monday, September 23, 2024, 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM CEST. Steve Powell, Fiona Remnant, and Gabriele Caldas Cabral have planned for a hands-on workshop on using causal mapping in evaluation practice. Participants will learn to identify causal claims, create and analyze causal maps, and integrate these techniques with other methods using both simple tools like post-its and Excel, as well as a custom app designed for evaluators.

Workshop: Hacking Artificial Intelligence: Unleashing and understanding its potential for evaluation

Monday, September 23, 2024, 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM CEST. Silva Ferretti will run a workshop that helps Evaluators learn how to better “hack” AI (conversational, image generation and speech recognition) to support and innovate on evaluation processes. At the workshops participants will also be encouraged to discuss how AI can support rather than hinder diversity in evaluation, and be used in collaborative and participatory ways. Finally there will be space to ponder the ethical and existential links to the setup, governance and use of AI for evaluation – as well as its potential sensitivities.

NLP-CoP Member led Sessions on AI

Ethical Use of Emerging A.I.: How Can Strategic Guidance Support Rather Than Stifle Safe Innovation for Evaluation?

Wednesday, September 25, 2024, 5:15 PM – 6:45 PM CEST. Kecia Bertermann, Linda Raftree, Grace Lyn Higdon, and Silva Ferretti are running an in-depth session on the ethical integration of AI in evaluation practices. This session will explore the challenges and opportunities AI presents for nonprofit and philanthropic sectors, focusing on generative AI and natural language processing tools. (Check out this post by the organizing team where they give more detail on the big picture questions they’ll be exploring at the session)

Intro to AI-Enabled Evaluation Methods

Friday, September 27, 2024, 2:20 PM – 3:50 PM CEST. Linda Raftree and Tom Wagstaff (together with Zach Tilton and Jonas Norén) will run an engaging session on AI-enabled evaluation tools and methods. This workshop will cover key criteria for vetting AI tools, share practical applications through lightning talks, and provide opportunities for audience interaction and group discussions.

AI as a Partner for Outcome Harvesting – Benefits and Challenges

Friday, September 27, 2024, 4:15 PM – 5:45 PM CEST. Leon Hemkemeyer, Kornelia Rassmann, Goele Scheers, Heather Britt, Steve Powell, and Gabriele Caldas Cabral will host an engaging session on the use of AI in Outcome Harvesting, a participatory evaluation method. This panel will cover AI-driven tools for outcome identification, automated interviews, and causal mapping while addressing key ethical considerations and fostering interactive discussions on data protection, bias, and inclusivity.

Other Workshops and Sessions about Tech and AI:

(Please double check the conference program for any last minute changes in time)

Join us for these robust and informative conversations!

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