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Rahul Bhargava develops AI tools to aid human rights monitoring
Collaborating with Catherine D’Ignazio of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Bhargava has tailored these tools to support a wide range of organizations.
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Rahul Bhargava / Image- Northeastern University
A Northeastern University professor, Rahul Bhargava, has developed AI tools that are transforming how grassroots organizations monitor civil and human rights violations.
These tools significantly reduce the time needed for data collection, allowing organizations to more efficiently track incidents such as gender-based violence, police brutality, and other critical human rights issues.
#AI tools developed by @NU_CAMD researcher @rahulbot monitor news reports on alleged intentional killings of women in North and South America, helping some partners cut their data extraction time from six hours to one hour.
— Northeastern U. (@Northeastern) August 7, 2024
Read more: https://t.co/iM4JjLlY5H
“These problems matter and have significant impact on the world around us,” Bhargava said, emphasizing the importance of efficiently tracking incidents such as gender-based violence, police brutality, and other critical human rights issues.
Bhargava’s AI tools are specifically designed to meet the unique needs of each organization. They scan media databases, filter relevant stories, and categorize incidents according to precise criteria. This process has drastically reduced the time required for data collection, cutting it down from six hours to just one in some cases.
Collaborating with Catherine D’Ignazio of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Bhargava has tailored these tools to support a wide range of organizations.The AI models not only automate data extraction but also ensure that organizations receive timely, accurate information essential for their advocacy efforts.
“We build a new model for every group we work with,” Bhargava noted. “Many of these groups have very nuanced definitions of the types of cases they care about. AI is a suite of tools and techniques that can be wielded for people that have very custom needs and developed with them.”
With support from the Data Empowerment Fund, Bhargava is expanding his work to reach more organizations across the U.S., Mexico, Uruguay, Brazil, and Argentina. His open-source approach allows other groups to adapt and use these tools, further amplifying their impact.
“In many countries, this kind of data isn’t [officially] collected [by the government], and these groups are filling a data hole,” Bhargava said, highlighting the critical role these tools play in supporting human rights advocacy.
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