Sid Ravinutula of IDinsight, Mercedes Bidart of Quipu, Liam Nicoll of IRC, Ben Ruxin of Link Health, Monika Shukla of Buzzworthy Ventures, and Joanne Jan of data.org at the 2025 Global Inclusive Growth Summit hosted by the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth.
Quipu | Colombia: More than 5,000 people were enabled access to financial services, and 11,892 interacted with an AI financial assistant bot.
IDinsight | Ethiopia: 125 frontline health extension workers have provided 587 AI-assisted consultations, with 90 percent reporting that the tool has made their work easier and more efficient.
International Rescue Committee (IRC) | Global: 951 people affected by crises, conflict, and disasters received critical information from Signpost AI, including how to access legal assistance, information about job training, and ways to find housing.
Halfway through their grant period, the five organizations already have exciting results to share, having served more than 23,000 people and counting around the world. Collectively, the organizations have also secured $1.4 million in additional funding to continue scaling their data and AI work and deepening their impact.
The Buzzworthy team, along with local beekeepers in India.
With months still left before the grant period ends, the number of people reached and lives impacted will continue to grow, as will the potential for these solutions to be replicated in other regions and contexts. Here are five key findings at the grant midway point that other social impact organizations may consider in their own work:
AI is a tool to reach underserved and overlooked populations. Through field engagement and state-level partnerships in India, Buzzworthy has introduced beekeepers to tools that offer tailored hive management guidance, enhancing the predictability and stability of income from beekeeping as a vital form of income diversification for smallholder farmers.
AI is improving efficiency, accuracy, and decision-making for both organizations and their beneficiaries. In pilot locations, survey data from International Rescue Committee (IRC) is showing as much as a 66% efficiency gain once SignpostAI was integrated into local teams’ daily work of providing critical information to those affected by humanitarian challenges.
Awardees are transforming internal data practices and fostering responsible data sharing for broader impact. Beyond direct financial inclusion tools for micro-, small- and medium enterprise entrepreneurs, Quipu has begun offering scoring tools and data insights to partner financial institutions in Colombia. These partners are now able to evaluate applicants with little or no credit history by integrating alternative data sources, such as SMS or mobile usage, into their decision-making processes.
Adoption of AI solutions is driving continuous learning and increased confidence among frontline workers. Interviews with the Ethiopian Ministry of Health’s health extension workers (HEWs) in the IDinsight and Last Mile Health project found that engagement with the AI-powered call center significantly enhanced their confidence in performing their job well. This professional development has been particularly evident over time, with HEWs increasingly demonstrating the ability to manage cases independently, apply knowledge from previous consultations, and make informed decisions even in complex scenarios.
Now more than ever, organizations must demonstrate trustworthiness to their end beneficiaries. Link Health is building trust with communities in Boston and Houston to ensure they are able to access public benefits. In contexts where personal information is particularly sensitive, Link Health is highlighting their responsible data security practices to the communities they serve.
The Link Health team.
Accelerating Together
Through the challenge, we’ve identified and supported bold leaders who are driving innovation and progress locally—and showing what’s possible to social impact practitioners around the globe.
As a connector, convener, and catalyst, data.org is committed to sharing best practices and helping social impact leaders learn from one another. Our awardees are taking advantage of meaningful opportunities to connect through data.org and Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth-led events, workshops, and introductions. There’s still much to learn through the duration of the AI2AI Challenge, and we’ll continue to lift up interesting insights and practical approaches.
Field building doesn’t happen in isolation—it happens in community. And together, our community will continue to accelerate social impact using data and AI.
Joanne Jan is the Manager, Partnerships and Product at data.org. In this role, she collaborates with key stakeholders to strengthen social impact organizations’ capacity to use data.
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