Omidyar Network

In our latest blog, CEO Michael Kubzansky previews our strategy for the next five years. 💡 We have an extraordinary, time-limited opportunity to help shape our digital future in service of our shared humanity. To meet this moment, Omidyar Network is changing in strategic ways. Over the next six months, we will evolve our focus to respond to the rapid pace and scale of the newest digital technologies quickly transforming society. We're moving from a three-pronged approach encompassing technology, the economy, and belonging to a laser-focused lens on technology's role in society. Read the blog to learn more about our renewed focus on bending the arc of the digital revolution toward shared power, prosperity, and possibility👇https://lnkd.in/ga4WZJb4

📣 Omidyar Network is proud to announce our new partnership with Carnegie Mellon University! Alongside NobleReach™️ Foundation, we’ll be supporting CMU’s Open Forum for AI (OFAI), a new initiative led by Sayeed Choudhury focused on human-centered AI. OFAI will convene a diverse range of stakeholders throughout the AI ecosystem to create a new Openness in AI framework to foster transparency, safety, and inclusiveness. Through collective action, research, and advocacy, OFAI aims to influence policymaking and ensure that public interest and equity are prioritized in AI policy development. This launch signals an exciting move toward deeper technical understanding and more rigorous scrutiny in AI. “Omidyar Network has been a longstanding supporter of open source and has invested in many initiatives and organizations in this ecosystem. Open source AI, with its numerous benefits, catalyzes innovation by lowering barriers, increasing competition, and fostering a more inclusive environment. However, we also recognize the challenges and the need to move towards a responsible open source AI paradigm. We are proud to support Carnegie Mellon’s launch of OFAI as a lighthouse for Responsible Open Source AI research, policy, community and pro-social applications that this initiative can engender.” 💬 Michele Lawrence Jawando, Omidyar Network Senior Vice President 🌐 Learn more about this partnership: https://lnkd.in/gEEaTG3w

Omidyar Network took the A Day for Democracy pledge because we want to help ensure that there is a vibrant, healthy, and functioning democracy in the United States and to make it easier for our employees to participate 🗳️ Giving employees a paid day of leave is only one small step to encouraging participation in our democracy, but it is a meaningful one. A Day for Democracy is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that encourages leaders and organizations to pledge to give their employees time off and/or work with TurboVote to register and vote. Learn more at www.aDayforDemocracy.com 👇

Omidyar Network Statement on Shooting at Former President Trump’s Rally Political violence has no place in our democracy. Our hearts go out to the victims and their families who were injured or lost their lives in this shocking assassination attempt. As the FBI learns more about the shooter and his motives, we hope people will wait for the facts and avoid spreading misinformation and disinformation that may fuel further violence and division. We reject any form of political violence, hatred, and extremism. It’s only together that we can build a stronger and more united country.

This week I was proud to take part in the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Global Dialogue on Technology. I joined an esteemed panel of dynamic leaders including Aki Enkenberg Emily Springer, PhD Tsitsi Matekaire Julie Bogaert Tomomi Tanaka, Ph.D. and Luísa Franco Machado to examine how technologies, including AI, can be developed and implemented to champion gender equality and enhance the well-being of women and girls globally. My takeaway from this week's thoughtful discussion... there has never been a more opportune time to consider or reconsider the systems and stakeholders involved in the development, design and governance of new technologies. AI may still be in its infancy, but the transformative impact it will have on our communities and economy is undeniable. We owe it to ourselves to shape the future we want to see! Whether you are a leader at a private company, a member of civil society, or an elected official it is incumbent that we are working together to shape a technological future that works for all of us and pays particular attention to communities that have consistently been underrepresented or harmed by the current challenges with digital technology. I challenge folks to go beyond the binary of innovation verses governance and remember, we can have both! I am grateful that Omidyar Network partners like Linda Bonyo Safiya Noble, Ph.D. Emma Lembke Alexandra Reeve Givens and Alondra Nelson are helping to lead the way! When we incorporate the diverse lived experiences and perspectives of our global community, the technology that unfolds before us better befits the world it was created for. I am so excited to continue this work in close collaboration with other funders, partners, and philanthropies to support the diversification of who designs and decides the future of responsible technology. This time we design it for all of us! #AIForAll #OmidyarNetwork #ICPD #UnitedNations #UNHQ #GenderEquality #UnitedNations #WomenInAI #WomenInTech #AIEthics

This week, our office is closed, and we're also taking a break on LinkedIn. We'll be back on July 8. In the meantime, subscribe to our monthly newsletter to stay in the loop—we have a special edition coming up in July! 🗞️📣 https://lnkd.in/eWBB4rZM In case you missed it, check out our most recent edition: https://lnkd.in/g97_B3dG

Young people are a powerful force in the fight for a more inclusive and equitable technology ecosystem. However, cultural, social, and infrastructural barriers often prevent youth-led organizations and intergenerational partnerships from accessing funding and realizing their full power and potential in shaping responsible technology. Since launching in 2023, the Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund (RTYPF) has raised over $4.5M to support youth- and intergenerationally-led initiatives addressing responsible technology. Now, RTYPF is inviting organizations to submit proposals to join their next cohort: www.rtyouthpower.org We are proud to support RTYPF in partnership with Hopelab, Susan Crown Exchange, The Archewell Foundation, Reynolds Lookup Fund, ENLIGHT FOUNDATION, Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, Oak Foundation, Pinterest, Pivotal Ventures, Carmel Hill Fund, and the AI Collaborative.

We are excited to announce the launch of the 2024 Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund (RTYPF) in partnership with 12 funders from Omidyar Network Hopelab Archewell Foundation Susan Crown Exchange LookUp Fund Enlight Foundation Pivotal Ventures Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation Oak Foundation Carmel Hill Fund Pinterest AI Collaborative (under Omidyar Group). The RTYPF will award grants ranging between $25,000 and $150,000 — based on the stage of the project and funding needs. Youth- and intergenerationally-led 501(c)(3) public charity-eligible organizations and initiatives working in the responsible technology movement should apply before 09 August, 2024) at www.rtyouthpower.org. Please share this opportunity with youth- and intergenerationally-led organizations in your network!!

Hard to believe it’s been two weeks since Lucid Capitalism co-hosted a Responsible Tech Investing workshop for Confluence Philanthropy’s Advisors Forum in NYC. We focused on three key areas of AI harms, including algorithmic bias, climate risk, and labor exploitation.  The following day at Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Compass Investors annual summit in Cape Cod, I moderated the “Navigating AI Risks and Opportunities” panel with Michael Kubzansky of Omidyar Network, Parasvil Patel of Radical Ventures,  Kate Simpson of TrueBridge Capital Partners, and Scott Pittman of Mount Sinai Health System. Amazing conversations, connections, and candid commiserations all around. 🌟 Actions to minimize Gen AI/tech harms:    ✅ Expect reporting & transparency on AI risks: model cards and data cards as a minimum    ✅ Be aware of liability gray areas: legal precedents have largely not yet been set!    ✅ Leverage capital to cultivate opportunities for responsible tech: investing in where the puck is going, namely SaaS focused on AI auditing, watermarking, data provenance… etc. 🌟 Paraphrasing a few thoughtful comments:    💜 AI innovation raises all boats for the private sector, but not necessarily for everyday people.    💜 You don’t need to be a tech expert to ask your VC GPs about how their portfolio companies integrate the voices of different stakeholders, like workers.    💜 The risks and harms we see today with AI, and tech more broadly, are not new. But the level of attention arising from Gen AI hype creates new opportunities for action. 🌟Thank you Alissa Black for being an incredible co-host and MC, Anita Dorett of Investor Alliance for Human Rights for the fireside chat, and a brilliant team of AI Harms mini-workshop facilitators:    💡 Bias: Damini Satija of Amnesty Tech at Amnesty International / Head of Algorithmic Accountability Lab at Amnesty International USA, and Cecilia Young     💡 Labor: Alexandra Mateescu of Data & Society Research Institute and Danica Yu of Ford Foundation    💡 Climate: Jenny Wong of Mozilla and Kaileen Diep    💡 AI Office Hours: Oomi Pammit #AdvisorsForum2024 #CompassInvestors

In the latest blog post, our colleague Alexis Krieg discussed Omidyar Network's blueprint for thinking about where to invest in narrative change, especially as it applies to our efforts to shift the economic paradigm. Our approach is based on three building blocks: 1️⃣ message research and development 2️⃣ storytelling and sourcing 3️⃣ mass distribution and amplification As the field grows even more sophisticated in implementing narrative change strategies, particularly in the realm of economic issues, it’s crucial for philanthropies and organizations to collaborate and coordinate efforts. Learn more in the blog post 🔗 https://lnkd.in/g_Bm4kST 📣 Shoutout to those mentioned: Convergence Partnership, Heather McGee, Anat Shenker-Osorio, Ian Haney-Lopez, More Perfect Union, Accelerate Change Network.