Microsoft Philanthropies: AI Skilling for Everyone
“Skilling and democratizing AI is my domain,” says Microsoft Philanthropies’ Skills for Social Impact Asia Regional Leader Caroline McGrath. And that means training ordinary people who are not employed in an IT department. She was speaking at the United Nations University (UNU) in Tokyo on February 27 about making AI (Artificial Intelligence) equally available for everyone.
AI is quickly becoming a technology that businesses and governments are investing in to become more efficient and extend beyond current capabilities. She quoted Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella as saying, “Ultimately, our goal is to democratize AI to enable more people and organizations to benefit from this powerful technology and help create a more equitable and inclusive society.” A key enabler to this vision is skilling so citizens can access and interact with AI and make decisions about how best to use it to benefit their lives.
Ms McGrath joined the director of the UNU Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS) Dr Shinobu Yume Yamaguchi to discuss how recent developments in AI have impacted the workplace. Debate was held on leveraging AI to create a more inclusive society, and questions included, “What is the role of educational institutions and the private sector in developing AI skills for the broader population?”
McGrath is focused on deploying AI skilling programs to citizens through non-profits, educational institutions, government workforce development agencies and commercial associations (such as Chambers of Commerce) to help expand access to and ensure more equitable participation in the economic opportunities that technology can create.
“Cybersecurity and using AI ethically are key in training awareness,” McGrath said. Like many tech innovations, she added, access to technology is skewed to men and wealthier, more powerful nations. That’s what Microsoft is trying to rectify. “AI is different to other technologies as everyone can use it.”
The audience asked: Do we need to worry about AI taking over the human race? “No, AI is still being defined but it will still need human arbiters for decision making.”
Is Microsoft helping refugees to use AI? “We are working on it, but no details are available yet.” Microsoft is currently skilling in South Africa, Poland and India, among other places, and in many languages. “Microsoft Philanthropies has reached 14 million people since July 2024 through its local projects and free online courses,” she said. “AI safety and literacy are just as important as fluency.”
What skills are needed to harness opportunities? “Overcome your fear and uncertainty by educating yourself, not using second-hand information or trial and error,” she advises.
“AI is especially helping medical and other research that might have taken many years to do. Thailand, for example, has used AI to improve soil quality and manage land to achieve better yields.” Indonesia, meanwhile, is developing its AI education with help from Microsoft so that industries are equipped to welcome skilled students when they graduate. “And all governments want to skill its workforce in AI.”