Efficiency, automation, integration, innovation: information and communication technologies (ICT) promise all of these and more. More specifically, the field of data for development (D4D) “ascribe[s] power and agency to data as a development actor” (Cinnamon, 2020, p. 215). How can data be a development actor? Cinnamon (2020) explains that in…
What is AI? The notion of AI (Artificial Intelligence) has been at the tip of the tongues of many these days, but what is it all about and what is its use for development? We are increasingly surrounded by automated data-driven algorythms that are able to do many things. AI…
According to the media, techno-optimism is everywhere. There’s a lot of buzz around the metaverse, artificial intelligence, web 3, NFTs… the list goes on. But what do these terms actually mean, and what good (or bad) will they deliver for society? I had the chance to delve deeper into this…
Why the ‘Digital Native’ notion does not apply to Zoomers everywhere and considerations for regional INGOs “We need fresh ideas and new content, and we need to get these ideas out everywhere fast,” the coordinator of a humanitarian aid programme said with a sense of urgency. Data analytics of several…
Cryptocurrency has been hailed as revolutionary and disruptive, a “truth machine” and “the future of money and global finance”. Has cryptocurrency helped drive the development agenda in the Global South, or are the claims too good to be true? What is cryptocurrency? Cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, emerged in the aftermath…
It is not just the growing developments in big data and increased amounts of open data that have grown society’s interest in digital development or ICT4D. Nor is it only the benefits or positive impacts of these changes in the post-covid era of globalisation. The curiosity also lies in the…
Working for a development research firm, data is a word I can’t escape. But what’s really interesting to me is not the data itself; it’s what it can mean when it becomes knowledge. If the circumstances are right, data can even lead to impact. I want to understand what ingredients…
For over 7 years, I have been working in the field of marketing communication for the finance, technology and health sector. As a Colombian living in Switzerland and working for the World Health Organization I intend to bring fresh ingredients on multi-sectorial topics focused on data for development. I am…
