IDFI has joined the Global Index on Responsible AI (GIRAI) project and the Global Community of Regional Hubs in spring 2023. IDFI acts as a Regional Hub for the GIRAI project for Central Asia and Eastern Europe and is responsible for Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Republic of Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

The Global Index on Responsible AI has been established to provide inclusive and measurable indicators to track the implementation of responsible AI principles by governments and stakeholders. This evidence-based benchmarking will enable government and community leaders to develop and strengthen national initiatives, fostering responsible AI use and monitoring progress over time. GIRAI aligns human rights obligations with established ethical AI principles and sets concrete benchmarks for responsible AI. The methodology of the research being developed for the Index takes into account national circumstances, socio-economic rights, available resources, and diverse conditions within each country.

The research project has set its sights on encompassing over 120 countries. To achieve this goal, it has forged partnerships with numerous organizations, including IDFI, with the aim of establishing regional hubs. These hubs will take on the responsibility of:

• providing inputs on methods and indicators;

• recruiting and training 12 national researchers;

• verifying the regional relevance of indicators;

• supervising country-based researchers and assisting in reviewing the results and ensuring data integrity;

• writing regional analyses for the Global Index report

• taking part in and organizing dissemination activities.

Regional hubs

GIRAI's objective is to conduct this research biennially, ensuring the ongoing monitoring of Responsible AI's global development. IDFI is thrilled and honored to participate in this important global initiative. We anticipate that our collaboration will serve as a cornerstone for improving accountability, refining policy interventions, developing best practices, and fostering regional and international collaboration.