The U.S. Agency for International Development has released its new digital policy — a road map that will guide the institution's approach to digital technology over the next 10 years.
“It’s clear we stand at the cusp of another technological upheaval that none of us really can predict,” said USAID Administrator Samantha Power at the policy’s launch event last week. “Since we know that we can't stop the march of technology, maybe it's tempting to sit back and hope for the best to disappear, in fact, into our technology. But, needless to say, we can't do that. We need to take action, we need to be intentional.”
The agency’s new digital policy is trying to do just that. In 47 pages, USAID outlines how it will both use and combat artificial intelligence over the next decade, focusing on three main objectives: furthering digital connectivity, protecting the world from technology’s harms, and embracing digital tools for human progress.