Last updated: March 2026
AgriRobust uses artificial intelligence (AI) responsibly to improve program efficiency, evidence collection, and impact measurement. We are committed to transparency, fairness, privacy, and human oversight in all AI applications.
Where We Use AI
AgriRobust currently uses or is piloting AI for:
- Data analysis: identifying patterns in program outcomes, weather trends, and crop performance
- Language translation: making training materials accessible in local languages
- Image recognition: crop disease identification support for field officers (AI-assisted, not autonomous)
- Content generation: drafting reports, summaries, and structured data input (always human-reviewed)
- Chatbots: answering common questions on our website (clearly labeled as AI)
Core Principles
Human Oversight
No high-stakes decision (program eligibility, funding allocation, staff evaluation) is made by AI alone. Humans review all AI outputs before action is taken.
Fairness & Non-Discrimination
We audit AI systems for bias, particularly gender, age, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. We do not use AI for punitive or exclusionary purposes.
Transparency
We disclose when AI is used and how it influences decision-making. Participants and partners have the right to know when they interact with AI systems.
Privacy & Data Protection
AI systems access only necessary data and comply with our Privacy & Data Protection policy. We do not sell or share data with third-party AI vendors without explicit consent.
Accuracy & Reliability
We validate AI model performance against human expert benchmarks. We do not deploy AI systems that produce consistently unreliable or harmful outputs.
What We Do NOT Do
- Use AI for surveillance or social scoring of participants
- Deploy facial recognition without explicit, informed consent
- Use AI to make hiring or firing decisions
- Automate program eligibility decisions without human review
- Use AI to generate misleading or fabricated evidence
- Share participant data with AI vendors for model training without consent
Bias Mitigation
We recognize that AI models can perpetuate historical biases. To mitigate this:
- Training data is reviewed for representation across gender, age, region, and ethnicity
- Model outputs are tested for differential performance across groups
- Local experts and community members are consulted on model design and interpretation
- Regular audits by independent data ethics reviewers
- Systems are deactivated if bias cannot be adequately addressed
Participant Rights
Program participants and partners have the right to:
- Know when AI is used and how it affects them
- Request human review of any AI-generated decision
- Opt out of AI-assisted services (alternative pathways provided)
- Access explanations of how AI arrived at a recommendation
- Report concerns about AI bias or harm
Vendor Accountability
When we use third-party AI tools, we require vendors to:
- Disclose how models are trained and what data is used
- Provide documentation on bias testing and mitigation
- Comply with GDPR and African Union data protection standards
- Not use our data to train commercial models without explicit permission
- Maintain data sovereignty (data stored in approved jurisdictions)
Continuous Improvement
- Annual review of this policy and all AI systems in use
- Incident reporting and response protocols for AI-related harm
- Staff training on responsible AI use
- Stakeholder consultations on new AI applications
- Public transparency reports on AI use and performance
Questions or Concerns
For questions about our AI use or to report a concern, email info@agrirobust.org.
