This October, MTI will join researchers, policymakers, technologists, feminists, activists, artists, and community leaders in Accra, Ghana, for the Gendering AI Conference 2026. This event is designed to question inherited systems, exchange ideas, and imagine more just, inclusive, and equitable AI futures.

Connected ≠ Ready: Rethinking AI Readiness from the Ground Up Using Digital Public Goods (DPGs)

Vari Matimba and Linda Raftree are holding a session that takes a closer look at what localized data on AI readiness reveals, and why nuanced formative research is a critical step in AI design. Following a short overview of some AI readiness tools and data sets, including sub-national segmentations and AI-readiness forecasting tools, participants will be invited to engage in problem solving and discussion. We’ll finish with an open conversation about how and when formative research and local-level data can support improved AI impact in LMICs and what is still missing. Participants will leave able to ask sharper questions, evaluate tradeoffs, and identify the best use of scarce resources before they fund or deploy.