Rooted in six stages of the AI lifecycle and a human rights-based approach, the Toolbox presents case studies that span agriculture, health, climate, education, and language inclusion.
The Toolbox applies a Human Rights-based AI Lifecycle Framework, integrating reflective questions and the Human Rights Impact Assessment (HRIA) developed with the Alan Turing Institute.
It emphasizes participatory, multidisciplinary approaches and is rooted in feminist, decolonial, and Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) principles and incorporates lessons from emerging digital rights challenges, ensuring AI systems are designed with safety and dignity at their core.
Digital Justice
Hanna Teshager | Code for Africa
This case details how AI systems are weaponized to perpetuate gender-based violence across 11 African countries. It highlights cases like the deepfake attack on Ethiopian Mayor Adanech Abiebie and the coordinated harassment against Brenda Biya, daughter of Cameroon’s President, revealing how engagement-optimized algorithms amplify harmful content. The research by Code for Africa exposes systematic failures in content moderation due to cultural and linguistic gaps, and proposes architectural changes, community ownership, and regulatory frameworks to embed human rights principles into AI design, aiming to reclaim AI for human dignity.
Climate
Alicia Olago | Code for Africa
This case study details sensors.AFRICA, an initiative by Code for Africa, which uses AI-driven climate sensors to monitor environmental pollution across African cities and communities from 2016-2025. The project empowers communities by providing open, accessible environmental data, enabling them to advocate for their environmental rights. It highlights a community-centered approach, technical innovations like solar-powered sensors, and the use of AI to fill data gaps, predict environmental events, and make complex data understandable, ultimately transforming environmental governance and promoting human rights.
Education
Dr. Lilian Wanzare | Maseno University
Health
Dr. Rose Nakasi | Makerere AI Health Lab
The Makerere AI Health Lab’s initiative in Uganda demonstrates a human rights-based approach to AI development for malaria diagnostics. By leveraging 3D-printed smartphone adapters and AI, the project democratizes access to accurate malaria diagnosis in resource-limited areas. The initiative emphasizes community partnership, ethical data collection, and sustainable, locally-owned technology, serving as a model for AI that promotes health equity and human dignity.
Agriculture
Engr. Prof. Joel Nwaeze Nwakaire | University of Nigeria
This case study highlights Nigeria’s Nsukka Yellow Pepper Project, which successfully co-created AI solutions with women farmers. By prioritizing community needs, the project developed innovations like a solar-powered pest detection system and an SMS-based irrigation system, leading to improved farming, increased trust, and the formation of a cooperative. This initiative demonstrates how integrating human rights and genuine participation throughout the AI lifecycle can empower marginalized agricultural communities.
Natural Language Processing
Dr. Lilian Wanzare | Maseno University
Agriculture
Dr. Daisy Salifu | International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (Icipe)
