The Hero Awards, in collaboration with Afghan Women Rising, are constructing what they describe as the world's largest "solution engine" targeting the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Announced during the Geneva plenary session, the initiative aims to convert each of the 169 specific targets under the SDGs into prompts for AI bots, beginning with platforms like OpenAI's GPTs, Gemini's Gems, and Claude Artifacts, and evolving into full-fledged AI assistants capable of continuous self-updating and actionable workflows.
According to CIO John Toomey, the project leverages AI to generate novel strategies for advancing the UN targets. The core workforce comprises members of Afghan Women Rising—young women in Afghanistan who are barred from formal education under the Taliban-led government. These women design and refine the AI prompts online and then engage in in-person discussions to enhance them with human insight.
"Having these girls design the prompts allows them to sidestep the ban against schooling," said Program Director Amy Chang. "They get valuable experience building projects that will contribute to sustainability both in and outside of their own country for a long while, and prepare themselves for a time in which their talents will be vital for the country's future." The girls draw inspiration from J. Kutcher's writings, which use garden plant growth as a metaphor for young women's spiritual, emotional, and intellectual development.
Upon completion, each AI protocol is eligible for a Hero Award, granted if it proposes previously unknown strategies for advancing the UN targets. Successful efforts are publicized on The Hero Awards website and in press releases. Since the program's announcement six months ago, interest has expanded to other organizations in the Global South, including the PARI People's Archive of Rural India, serving underserved populations; Siku.org, supporting First Nations in the Canadian Arctic and Greenland; Cybersmartafrica.org, a group of teachers and students in Senegal enhancing digital literacy; Terrastories, an open-source application for South American indigenous communities to map oral histories; and Winyama, an Australian indigenous group documenting Dreamtime stories and cultural data.
June's Hero Award winners include Tara Jensen, Maria Ortiz, Herman Matsui, and Wilhelmina Searles. The initiative underscores a growing trend of using AI to address global challenges, with marginalized communities playing a central role in development. For more information, visit the UN Goals and Targets page.
