The Institute for Human Flourishing (IHF) has launched with a focus on understanding how AI can improve livelihoods and create new opportunities for workers, particularly in India and other parts of the Global South. Founded by Ravi Venkatesan and led by CEO Urvashi Aneja, the institute will start its work in India before expanding its findings to other regions.
IHF has the backing of The Rockefeller Foundation, Schmidt Philanthropies and the Government of India, with the country’s Expert Group on Human Flourishing also endorsing its establishment.
IHF will study how AI affects real-world jobs
The institute plans to focus on how people actually use AI at work, rather than only looking at what the technology can do in theory. Its Livelihoods Lab will work with workers and organisations to test different ways of using AI in real workplaces. IHF says it will publish the results openly, including findings from projects that do not deliver the expected results.
The institute will also set up an AI and Jobs Observatory to track how AI affects workers. Instead of looking only at income, it plans to study factors such as skills, independence, dignity and economic security.
A third programme will focus on policy and public discussion, using the research from these projects to help shape policy and practices across India and the wider Global South.
Why is India in focus here?
According to IHF, India offers a useful place to study how AI can support workers because a substantial part of the country’s workforce operates in the informal economy. The institute believes AI could help groups such as farmers, artisans and small businesses, but the benefits will depend on how easily people can access and use the technology.
There’s also a large base of entry-level IT and BPO jobs among the Indian sector, which are facing the brunt of the change as automation becomes more common. This begs the question of how AI affects workers, particularly in countries where these jobs have helped people transition to the middle class.
To add even more credibility to this initiative, the Government of India’s Expert Group on Human Flourishing has formally endorsed IHF’s establishment. S. Krishnan, Secretary at the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, says the institute’s work on AI and livelihoods supports the government’s wider efforts under the IndiaAI Mission.
The key part of IHF’s approach is that it will look at what AI changes for people on the ground. A faster AI model is just another expected development, but its wider impact will depend on whether workers can leverage it to improve their skills, productivity, and income without losing control over their work.
As AI adoption spreads across different parts of India’s economy, it becomes even more important to address this matter. IHF plans to do exactly that with real workers and businesses in India, with the aim of turning those findings into ideas that can also be used across the Global South.
