Rotary Club Hosts Kathryn Born To Discuss AI For Humanity – Los Alamos Reporter

Kathryn Born/Courtesy photo

ROTARY CLUB OF LOS ALAMOS NEWS RELEASE
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At our lunch meeting this week, the Rotary Club of Los Alamos welcomed Kathryn Born, co-founder of the Dusoma Foundation, for a lunch presentation on the intersection of artificial intelligence and human compassion. The talk, titled “AI for Humanity,” outlined the Foundation’s mission to leverage technology to aid the world’s most vulnerable populations, particularly refugees in East Africa.

Born introduced the Dusoma Foundation (not present board co-chair Shalom Kansiime), a hybrid b-corp and non-profit organization that works alongside Dusoma Limited and its technology arm, Marla AI. The presentation detailed the Foundation’s core focus on using AI as a tool for humanitarian efforts, with a driving motto of “only humans can fix broken systems”.

A key initiative highlighted was the use of AI for refugee case management, which the Foundation believes can enable case managers to support up to 10 times more refugees than traditionally possible.

Born also discussed the development of a “rescue phone,” a hardware product designed as a free phone with free internet for refugees. This AI-enabled device would provide localized, essential information (like how to get water or food) and include features for immediate, secure documentation of conditions, helping to ensure transparency and accountability for international aid agencies.

The Dusoma Foundation is also working on a revolutionary funding model which aims to compensate individuals—such as refugees who share photos from inside camps with social and legacy media outlets—for their data, promoting democratized data ownership and dignity.

Furthermore, Born shared her long-term vision for the foundation, including a “clean water is health care” initiative focused on preventing neglected tropical diseases by improving water infrastructure, which is significantly more cost-effective than treating the resulting illnesses.

Born concluded by mentioning an ongoing end-of-year fundraising campaign, which includes creating a 3D-printed coin with Los Alamos Makers, an artisanal gold coin fabricated in Los Alamos, and with a long-term goal of funding the world’s first humanitarian-owned, non-profit, ethically sourced gold mine.

Our meetings are open to the public and feature uplifting fellowship, community service opportunities, and interesting talks by local and global community leaders. See https://rotarylosalamos.org/calendar for upcoming events.