From Invisible to Identifiable: AI at the Edge
About the session
We will explore the "invisibility crisis" in global health, where 1 in 4 children born today lack any formal identity. As a consequence, delivering the most life-saving tools, from malaria vaccines to malnutrition supplements, relies on patchy coverage estimates and flawed data. This invisibility leads to a difficult question: Can we trust the numbers?
With representatives from Arm, Children's Investment Fund Foundation, Dovetail Impact Foundation, Simprints and Gavi The Vaccine Alliance all joining the panel, this session will examine the invisibility crisis and how new approaches leveraging AI on edge devices (e.g., low-end smartphones) can help address it. By screening recent National Geographic footage, we’ll explore the use of ML models for infant biometrics to generate verifiable data in real time, to ensure life-saving interventions reach the most vulnerable. We’ll also debate the limits of AI at the edge, from privacy and ethics, to “trust-based” philanthropy behind high-risk, high-reward innovation.
The session is designed as a blend of cinematic storytelling and a "builders and funders" deep dive:
The Context (7-Minute Film): A screening of the new National Geographic film documenting the AI Infant Biometrics R&D project, grounding the technical discussion in the reality of rural clinics.
The "AI and Trust at the Edge" Panel: A moderated discussion featuring:
Simprints: On the invisibility crisis in global health and the practical consequences for vaccines, malnutrition, and other life-saving interventions.
Arm: On the frontier of AI compute power and hardware "at the edge".
CIFF & Gavi & Dovetail: On the potential and limits of trust-based philanthropy to fund "high risk" bets that have no guaranteed ROI, but massive potential for impact.
The Provocation: A closing segment on the "new normal" for 2030: Can AI at the edge radically improve global health, or is this just the latest flash in the pan?
Panel members
Alexandra Grigore (Simprints),
Meredith Baker (Gavi The Vaccine Alliance),
Fran Baker (Arm),
Ian Vickers (Children's Investment Fund Foundation),
Hillary Omala (Dovetail Impact Foundation).
Who is it for?
Everyone is welcome. Those who might find the session especially helpful include:
R&D Innovators: Those working on "frontier" tech who need to understand how to communicate experimental risk to partners.
Global Health Strategists: Leaders interested in the "Invisible Child" phenomenon and the infrastructure of data integrity.
Philanthropists: Individuals looking for models on how to support multi-stakeholder coalitions in the private and non-profit sectors.
AI Ethicists: Those focused on the "trustworthy AI" movement and its application in low-resource settings.