HRF’s AI Hack for Freedom III was featured on National Public Radio’s Weekend Edition. Millions of listeners across the United States heard about our two-day hackathon that brought together human rights defenders from around the world with developers, technologists, and AI experts.
NPR Cybersecurity Correspondent Jenna McLaughlin spoke with Tibetan human rights activist Chemi Lhamo about her participation in the hackathon:
We’re outside of Waldorf Hotel in Washington, D.C., which is hosting the Chinese government’s dictator Xi Jinping. And ironically, as a Tibetan human rights activist, I’m doing an AI-based hackathon right across the street. Just beyond the barricades, there were hundreds if not thousands of Chinese welcomers with Chinese flags and American flags, but also color-coordinated hats based on which buses they probably came in.
– Chemi Lhamo
She’s right. I actually had to push my way through a crowd of people wearing red hats right outside the building on Pennsylvania Avenue. Chemi says it’s exactly these kinds of people that have actually attacked her before when she’s protesting.
– McLaughlin
So her team is working on a tool using AI that would allow users to upload videos and images of what they’re seeing on the streets. It would go to a secure cloud server and even if they don’t have internet connection or they lose their phone, that stuff would be safe. It could be flagged for possible use for law enforcement to warn other activists or inform investigative journalists – all sorts of possibilities.
The hackathon was featured on NPR’s Weekend Edition on Sunday. Listen to the full segment to learn more about the activists using AI for good.
Listen to the full 4-minute story
The AI Hack for Freedom III was co-hosted by HRF, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), and the AI Freedom Lab. The University of Maryland School of Public Policy cultivated student engagement in the hackathon to train the next generation of technologists to help advance democracy.
