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Google.org supported venture to prototype AI platforms, promote responsible use of AI and expand public knowledge around the use of AI for immigrant access to justice
APRIL 23, 2024: Today Justicia Lab, the leading nonprofit innovation incubator for technology solutions supporting the immigrant rights movement and program of Pro Bono Net, announces the launch of Justicia Lab AI, a new AI innovation lab. Justicia Lab AI will bring together immigrant advocacy groups and technology industry partners to advance immigrant justice, help immigrant legal service providers adapt to new technologies, and bring innovation to hard to reach communities.
Justicia Lab AI is being supported by Google.org with $500,000 in seed funding over the next two years as well as technical capacity, mentorship, and pro bono support delivered through Google.org’s inaugural Gen AI Accelerator for nonprofits.
“As an immigrant from Venezuela, I’ve seen first hand the challenges migrant communities face. Advanced technologies like generative AI present an opportunity to create tools that more efficiently match migrants, refugees and asylum seekers with the legal support they need to successfully integrate,” said Hector Mujica, Head of Economic Opportunity and Inclusive Technology at Google.org. “We are proud to support Justicia Lab in their mission to design digital tools that make the law more accessible to all."
The Justicia Lab AI initiative seeks to bridge the tech divide between immigrant-serving organizations and developers of AI technology by delivering public education and workshops on AI, providing information on the ethical and practical considerations in using AI technologies, and co-designing AI solutions.
Justicia Lab AI will prototype, test, and launch new legal AI-powered technology solutions which will accelerate access to justice for immigrants and reduce the workload for legal and social service providers – leading to thousands of new arrivals obtaining lawful status more quickly and at a lower cost. Justicia Lab will apply its over 15 years of experience co-designing and developing ethical and responsible nonprofit technology and integrate equity considerations in this work, addressing longstanding trust issues that many immigrants experience with technology by prioritizing privacy, security, and language access.
“As Artificial Intelligence (AI) brings transformative changes to our world, immigrants and their advocates need a trusted mission-based technology partner to help them harness these new technologies to advance immigrant justice. The Justicia Lab AI initiative seeks to bridge the digital divide between immigrants, their advocates, and AI industry leaders,” said Rodrigo Camarena, Founder of the Justicia Lab AI initiative.
Justicia Lab AI is also assembling immigrant advocates, technologists, researchers and policy experts to join the Justicia Lab AI Advisory Group. Current advisory group members include:
While there is deserved misunderstanding and distrust in the immigrant community about the potential for exploitation and harms posed by AI, there is need for greater understanding and trusted partners on how AI can be beneficial in combating misinformation and improving efficiencies in America’s ever changing immigration policy landscape. Over 11 million immigrants in the U.S. currently lack status, of which an estimated 1.5 million could be eligible for immigration benefits but don't know it. It is also estimated that for every 1,400 undocumented persons in the U.S, there is 1 legal professional working for a charitable immigration program. According to a recent global survey by Google for Nonprofits, over a third nonprofits rated their current understanding of generative AI as low. Last year it was also reported that over 70% of legal professionals felt unprepared for the impacts of Gen AI in their work.
To address these challenges, Justicia Lab AI will focus in on three key areas:
The first webinar in its series of public education programs will take place in May with a workshop “Empowering Advocacy: Introduction to AI for Immigrant Justice.” Future sessions wll dive deeper into the applications of AI in delivering immigration legal services, privacy and data considerations, and methodologies to develop and test Gen AI solutions. More information can be found at JusticiaLab.AI.
About Justicia Lab
Justicia Lab is Pro Bono Net’s immigrant justice technology lab, and a nonprofit legal tech initiative whose mission is to transform immigrant justice through collaboration, creativity, and technology. We work hand in hand with immigrants and their advocates to identify common challenges and incubate scalable digital tools to advance help immigrants navigate our immigration system, find workplace justice, and more. Justicia Lab has developed over a dozen immigrant justice legal tools helping over 500,000 people find critical immigration information and relief.
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