Disclaimer:
Please be aware that the content herein has not been peer reviewed. It consists of personal reflections, insights, and learnings of the contributor(s). It may not be exhaustive, nor does it aim to be authoritative knowledge.
Title
Please provide a name for your action learning plan.
AI for Inclusive Voice and Participation
Challenge statement
Challenge type: If you are working on multiple challenges, please indicate if this is your "big bet" or "exploratory" challenge.
Please note: we ask you to only submit a maximum of 3 challenges - 1x Big Bet, 2x Exploratory. Each challenge must be submitted individually.
EXPLORATORY
Challenge statement: What is your challenge? (Please answer in specific terms: "Our challenge is that...”.)
Our challenge is to explore how artificial intelligence can strengthen and sustain citizen participation across education, governance, and key initiatives in our Country Office, transforming collective discourse into inclusive, data-driven action.
What capacities do we need to build internally to integrate AI into our participation strategies?
How can we measure the impact of AI on participation quality and sustainability?
Which of our current CO projects are best positioned to pilot AI-enhanced participation?
How do we avoid reinforcing biases or excluding vulnerable groups in AI-driven participation?
Background: What is the history of your challenge? What is causing or driving it? Who is involved? How does the current situation look like? What undesired effects does it produce?
UNDP supports countries to build inclusive AI ecosystems, strengthen capabilities, and implement solutions that benefit both people and the planet—working to ensure all countries can actively participate in shaping and harnessing AI's transformative potential. UNDP has adopted a strategic approach to promote the ethical, inclusive, and sustainable use of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI).
In our CO, we recognize that digital transformation and AI are key drivers of change and inclusive growth. While we are still in the early stages of implementation, there is growing momentum and enthusiasm across sectors. A diverse group of stakeholders, including government institutions, civil society, academia, and the private sector, are increasingly curious about exploring AI’s potential.
However, challenges such as limited technical capacity, fragmented initiatives, and the absence of a unified national strategy still persist. These gaps can slow progress and risk uneven benefits. Nevertheless, the current landscape presents an opportunity to co-create a shared vision for AI that is locally grounded and globally informed, ensuring that innovation contributes to sustainable development and leaves no one behind.
In Peru, 57% of workers now use artificial intelligence in their daily tasks—an increase of 8 percentage points compared to 2024, when 49% reported using it. This positions Peru as a regional leader in AI adoption, ahead of Argentina and Chile (both at 55%), Panama (40%), and Ecuador (39%). Additionally, 99% of Peruvian workers consider AI useful or very useful in their daily work, reflecting a strong cultural readiness for AI integration.
Quantitative evidence: What (official) data sources do you have on this challenge that better exemplifies the importance and urgency of this frontier challenge? You can add text, a link, or a picture.
https://gestion.pe/tecnologia/crece-uso-de-ia-en-el-peru-el-57-la-emplea-en-sus-tareas-laborales-diarias-noticia/#google_vignette
Qualitative evidence: What weak signals have you recently spotted that characterizes its urgency? Please provide qualitative information that better exemplifies the importance and urgency of this frontier challenge. You can add text, a link, or a picture.
Recent signals highlight the growing urgency of integrating AI into their organizations. Institutions are becoming increasingly aware of their limited capacity to apply AI effectively, particularly in the realm of public governance. At the same time, youth-focused initiatives are emerging to strengthen critical thinking in digital environments shaped by generative AI, misinformation, and algorithmic influence. Meanwhile, experts are raising concerns that AI could deepen polarization and erode democratic trust, especially in fragile democracies like Peru, where electoral processes remain vulnerable to manipulation.
Value proposition: What added value or unique value proposition is your Accelerator Lab bringing to solving this challenge? Why is it your Lab that needs to work on this challenge and not other actors within UNDP, other stakeholders in the country respectively? Why is it worth investing resources to this challenge?
The Accelerator Lab brings a cross-cutting perspective within the Peru Country Office, enabling it to test and adapt AI-driven solutions that support multiple programme areas simultaneously. With the flexibility to experiment across diverse topics and geographies, the Lab is well-positioned to pilot varied approaches to citizen participation—tailored to different contexts and communities.
Building on previous frontier challenges focused on changemaker youth, food systems, culture, and digitalization, the Lab offers valuable insights into how people engage, build trust, and co-create in a digital era. Its experimental mandate, human-centered lens, and capacity for rapid iteration make it the ideal actor to explore how AI can be responsibly integrated to strengthen democratic participation and inclusion—filling a gap that other institutional actors may not be structurally equipped to address. This makes it both strategic and necessary to invest in this challenge through the Lab’s innovation platform.
Short “tweet” summary: We would like to tweet what you are working on, can you summarize your challenge in a maximum of 280 characters?
Can AI make citizen participation more inclusive, effective, and lasting? At UNDP Peru, we’re exploring how to turn collective voices into data-driven action—responsibly, ethically, and with everyone at the table.
Partners
Who are your top 5 partners for this challenge? Please submit from MOST to LEAST important and state Name, Sector and a brief description of the (intended) collaboration.
Please state the name of the partner:
Ministry of Education (MINEDU)
What sector does our partner belong to?
Government (&related)
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
Description: Strategic partner for integrating AI literacy and digital citizenship into school curricula. Collaboration could include pilot initiatives that help educators and students critically navigate AI tools and misinformation.
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
No
Who are your top 5 partners for this challenge? Please submit from MOST to LEAST important and state Name, Sector and a brief description of the (intended) collaboration.
Please state the name of the partner:
Education Above All / Digi-wise
What sector does our partner belong to?
Government (&related)
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
Potential partner to support AI literacy and inclusion efforts among vulnerable youth populations. Their global focus on inclusive education aligns with the Lab’s goals of preparing adolescents to engage critically with AI systems.
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
Yes
Who are your top 5 partners for this challenge? Please submit from MOST to LEAST important and state Name, Sector and a brief description of the (intended) collaboration.
Please state the name of the partner:
Citizen Lab
What sector does our partner belong to?
Private Sector
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
Description: Technology partner for piloting digital participation and co-creation spaces that integrate algorithmic transparency and AI-supported dialogue moderation.
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
No
Learning questions
Learning question: What is your learning question for this challenge? What do you need to know or understand to work on your challenge statement?
How can we activate, build, and sustain meaningful links with citizens in the age of AI—ensuring that digital participation is inclusive, trusted, and leads to long-term civic engagement and action—while also strengthening internal capacities within UNDP and its partners to understand, govern, and apply AI responsibly
To what stage(s) in the learning cycle does your learning question relate?
Sense, Explore
Usage of methods: Relating to your choice above, how will you use your methods & tools for this learning question? What value do these add in answering your learning question?
These methods and tools will allow us to use them internally to facilitate learning spaces and experimentation with our CO colleagues and partners. This dual focus will help identify capacity gaps, foster institutional understanding of responsible AI use, and strengthen our ability to co-design inclusive digital engagement strategies. The Lab’s experimental mandate adds value by creating safe spaces to test and iterate, translating abstract AI risks and opportunities into grounded insights and practical tools that benefit both our external engagement and internal readiness.
Existing data gaps: Relating to your choice above, what existing gaps in data or information do these new sources of data addressing? What value do these add in answering your learning question?
Despite growing interest in AI across sectors, UNDP Peru currently lacks the technical knowledge and institutional capacity to engage with AI meaningfully. We also lack sufficient insights into how AI can be ethically and effectively integrated into participation strategies without reinforcing existing inequalities or biases. Addressing this gap is essential to ensure that our digital engagement approaches remain inclusive, trusted, and future-ready.
Closing
Early leads to grow: Think about the possible grow phase for this challenge - who might benefit from your work on this challenge or who might be the champions in your country that you should inform or collaborate with early on to help you grow this challenge?
As this challenge evolves, a key opportunity for growth is the creation of a cross-cutting team within UNDP Peru focused on AI and digital transformation. This team, along with the Chief Digital Office, would help embed responsible and inclusive AI practices across governance, education, and participation portfolios, reinforcing UNDP’s role as a trusted innovation partner. By building internal capacities and activating a coalition of forward-looking actors, the Accelerator Lab can help position UNDP Peru as a leading driver of inclusive AI strategies that safeguard democratic values and strengthen institutional resilience.
END OF ACTION LEARNING PLAN: Thank you! The form saves automatically and your submission has been recorded. You may now exit this window.
4Quality education
9Industry, innovation and infrastructure
17Partnerships for the goals
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